NCSB Journal Summer 2026

THE DISCIPLINARY DEPARTMENT

Grievance Committee and DHC Actions

NOTE: More than 35,000 people are licensed to practice law in North Carolina. Some share the same or similar names. All public orders of discipline are available on the State Bar’s website. Grievance Committee Activities The Grievance Committee considered 342 files this quarter. Two hundred seventy-eight grievances (81% of files) were dismissed. Sixty four files were considered during the April meeting of the Grievance Committee, includ ing appearances from 16 individual respon dents and/or their counsel concerning 20 grievance files. One Grievance Review Panel was held fol lowing the January 2026 meeting. The panel's recommendation was approved during the April 2026 meeting by the full committee. Disbarments Erin J. Phillips of Cashiers misappropri ated entrusted funds, failed to respond to grievance investigations, failed to comply with a court order of preliminary injunction, and neglected client matters. On September 29, 2025, the DHC entered a Default Order. Following a Phase II hearing held in January 2026, the DHC disbarred Phillips by an Or der Imposing Discipline entered on February 16, 2026. Tara Nichols of Durham misappropriated client funds. Nichols signed an Affidavit of Surrender and on January 23, 2026, the State Bar Council entered an Order of Disbarment. Joel G. Bowden of Greensboro tendered an Affidavit of Surrender to the Wake County Superior Court and consented to disbarment. Bowden’s affidavit stipulated that he provided improper financial assistance to clients, failed to promptly deliver entrusted funds to a client, failed to perform proper accountings of his trust account, engaged in sexual communi cations with clients, knowingly made false statements to a tribunal, failed to properly su pervise the conduct of the nonlawyer staff in his firm, paid clients a fee for recommending his services, and knowingly made false state

ments to the North Carolina State Bar in connection with a disciplinary matter. The court entered the Consent Order of Disbar ment on April 17, 2026. Suspensions & Stayed Suspensions J. Michael Edney of Hendersonville failed to respond to the State Bar on multiple occa sions and mismanaged entrusted funds. In addition, Edney failed to communicate with a client, failed to provide the client with an accounting of entrusted funds, prepared and recorded an invalid deed for a client, and im properly engaged in a business transaction with a client. On February 13, 2026, the DHC entered a Consent Order of Discipline imposing a four-year suspension, stayed four years upon compliance with conditions. Colin P. McWhirter of Shelby misman aged his trust account, neglected a client mat ter, failed to withdraw from client matters and engaged in UPL when his license was ad ministratively suspended, engaged in a pro hibited ex parte communication, and failed to respond to the State Bar. On February 12, 2026, the DHC entered a Consent Order of Discipline imposing a three-year suspen sion, stayed for three years upon compliance with conditions. The DHC entered an Order to Show Cause against Brian Wallace Sharpe ofMar shall for failure to comply with grievance in vestigations. Immediately before the scheduled show cause hearing on April 20, 2026, Sharpe provided his response to the underlying griev ance. Accordingly, the State Bar withdrew the petition for noncompliance suspension. Orders of Reciprocal Discipline J. Ronald Denman of Florida was sus pended from the practice of law for 60 days for violations of Rules 1.5(a), 1.7, 3.1, and 8.4(a) and (d) of the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct in an order of reciprocal discipline entered by the chair of the Griev Grievance Noncompliance Actions be fore the DHC

ance Committee on April 14, 2026.

Interim Suspensions Robert P. Tucker II of Asheville was con victed on February 25, 2026, after a trial by judge on one count of obtaining property by false pretenses, a class C felony, in violation of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-100 and one count of conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses, a class D felony, in violation of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-2.4(A) in the General Court of Jus tice, Superior Court Division, Buncombe County, North Carolina. On March 30, 2026, Tucker’s license to practice was suspended pending the disposition of all disciplinary pro ceedings against Tucker related to his convic tion of criminal offenses. Censures Richard E. Batts of Rocky Mount was cen sured by the Grievance Committee for failing to make a reasonably diligent effort to comply with discovery requests from opposing counsel, inaccurately communicating to his client that he could file a lien against settlement proceeds she might later negotiate and received in her case after he withdrew from representation, and failing to timely and fully respond to the State Bar’s inquiries and appear and produce documents pursuant to subpoena issued by the chair of the Grievance Committee. Tony S. Botros of Durham was transferred to Disability Inactive Status in 2018. On Oc tober 6, 2025, Botros filed a petition for rein statement to active status. Following discovery, the State Bar consented to Botros’s return to active status, subject to conditions set forth in theorder. Completed Petitions for Reinstatement/Stay – Contested Charles Blackmon of Greensboro peti tioned for reinstatement following his 2019 Completed Petitions for Reinstatement/Stay – Uncontested

CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

SUMMER 2026

30