For those of you who may have watched my 2014 Ethics Roadshow in person or online, you may recall that one of the lawyers whose plight we discussed was the former General Counsel for South Carolina State University. He had been indefinitely suspended from practice after pleading guilty to misprision of a felony arising from a kickback scheme over hiring of the entertainment for a homecoming event. Within the last month, the South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled on the final discipline for this lawyer,determining that the suspension should be for nine months, dating back to the May 2014 interim suspension.
Given the facts of this one, especially the lack of any personal financial benefit (this lawyer donated his $500 from the kickback to the University’s foundation), and that the criminal punishment for the offense involved probation only, this end result where the gentlemen can now return to practice comes as no real surprise.
And, if you didn’t catch last year’s Roadshow, which was titled “50 Shades of (Not) Gray,” you can still register to catch the online video versions: Part 1 & Part 2.