In the Matter of Kerry Eston Hand

Kerry Easton Hand, a Georgia lawyer since 2002, mishandled the cases of three separate clients: a bankruptcy client whose counterclaims were dismissed and who faced court sanctions because Hand ignored deadlines and hid problems from him; a divorce client who waited two years for a divorce Hand never properly pursued because he never filed proof his wife had been served; and an out-of-state client fighting a speeding ticket whose hearings Hand repeatedly missed, once lying to the court about when he was hired. Hand did not respond to the State Bar's investigations or to the formal complaints against him, so under Georgia's bar rules he was deemed to have admitted all the factual allegations and rule violations. A Special Master recommended disbarment, and the Supreme Court of Georgia agreed, finding that Hand violated multiple Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct and that no mitigating factors existed.

The court held that disbarment was the appropriate sanction because Hand, by defaulting, was deemed to have admitted violating multiple ethics rules across three client matters, including incompetence, lack of diligence, failure to communicate, dishonesty to a court, and failure to cooperate with the State Bar's investigation.

The ruling removes Hand from the rolls of Georgia lawyers, protecting future clients from similar harm. It also signals to the legal profession and the public that abandoning clients, lying to courts, and ignoring State Bar investigations will result in the most severe sanction available.

Disbarred

1. Because Hand never answered the State Bar's formal complaints, he was found in default, and under State Bar Rule 4-212(a) he is deemed to have admitted every factual allegation and rule violation charged against him.
2. The Special Master applied the ABA Standards for Imposing Lawyer Sanctions, a framework courts use to pick a discipline level, weighing the duties Hand violated, his mental state, the harm he caused, and any aggravating or mitigating circumstances.
3. Applying that framework, the Special Master found Hand acted with a dishonest or selfish motive, including lying to a court, engaged in a pattern of misconduct across three clients, refused to acknowledge wrongdoing, targeted vulnerable clients with no legal training, had substantial experience as a lawyer, and showed indifference to repaying the money he owed his clients, with no mitigating factors present.
4. Comparing Hand's conduct to prior Georgia disbarment cases involving similar client abandonment, failure to communicate, and default in the disciplinary process, the Special Master concluded disbarment matched how the court has treated comparable misconduct.
5. The Supreme Court of Georgia independently reviewed the record, agreed that Hand violated the charged rules, and agreed that disbarment was the warranted sanction, ordering his name removed from the rolls of Georgia lawyers.

• attorney disbarment
• State Bar of Georgia
• client abandonment
• legal malpractice
• default judgment