In the Matter of Shaquandra A. Woods

Shaquandra A. Woods, a lawyer admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 2019, was found guilty in federal court in the Southern District of Georgia of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a felony. Before the State Bar filed formal disciplinary charges against her, Woods asked the Supreme Court of Georgia to suspend her law license while she appeals her conviction, rather than waiting for the disciplinary process to run its course. Woods admitted that her conviction violated the rule against a lawyer committing a felony, which can lead to disbarment. She promised to tell the State Bar within ten days after her appeal is finally decided and to follow other Bar rules for suspended lawyers. The State Bar agreed with her request, and the Supreme Court of Georgia reviewed the record and granted the suspension until further order of the court.

The court held that Woods's petition for voluntary suspension pending appeal should be accepted, and ordered her suspended from practicing law in Georgia until her criminal appeal is resolved and until the court orders otherwise.

Woods cannot practice law in Georgia while her appeal is pending, protecting clients and the public from being represented by someone convicted of a felony involving dishonesty. The case also shows how Georgia lawyers can seek suspension themselves before formal Bar charges are filed.

Petition for interim suspension accepted; suspended until further order of the court

1. Woods admitted she was convicted of a federal felony, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and that this conviction violated Georgia's Rule of Professional Conduct barring lawyers from committing felonies, a violation that can carry disbarment as the maximum penalty.
2. Under Bar Rule 4-227 (b) (2), a lawyer can seek voluntary suspension of her license pending an appeal of a criminal conviction, even before the State Bar files a formal disciplinary complaint against her.
3. The court looked to its own past decisions accepting similar petitions from other Georgia lawyers convicted of crimes and awaiting appeal, showing this is the court's established practice.
4. Because the State Bar itself recommended accepting the petition and the court's review of the record supported it, the court granted the suspension pending the outcome of Woods's appeal.

• attorney suspension
• wire fraud conviction
• State Bar of Georgia
• voluntary suspension pending appeal