In the Matter of Paul Gerard Wersant

Paul Gerard Wersant, a member of the Georgia Bar since 2004, pleaded guilty in Forsyth County Superior Court in February 2025 to two felony counts of interstate interference with custody and one felony count of filing false documents. The State Bar learned of the convictions and began disciplinary proceedings after Wersant apparently failed to report them himself, as bar rules require. A special master held a hearing, after which Wersant asked to voluntarily give up his law license rather than face further discipline. Both the State Bar and the special master recommended the Supreme Court of Georgia accept that request. The court agreed, noting the outcome matched how it had handled similar past cases, and ordered Wersant's name removed from the list of lawyers allowed to practice law in Georgia.

Because Wersant's felony convictions violated the rule barring lawyers from being convicted of a felony, and his request to voluntarily surrender his license matched how the court has resolved similar past cases, the court accepted the surrender and struck his name from the rolls of licensed Georgia attorneys.

The decision removes a convicted felon from the rolls of licensed Georgia attorneys, protecting clients and the public from being represented by someone convicted of serious crimes, and reinforces that lawyers must promptly report their own felony convictions to the State Bar.

Voluntary surrender of license accepted

1. Georgia's bar rules make it a violation of professional conduct rules for a lawyer to be convicted of a felony (Bar Rule 8.4(a)(2)), and Wersant admitted pleading guilty to three such felonies.
2. Because Wersant apparently failed to self-report his convictions as bar rules require, the State Bar opened disciplinary proceedings and asked the court to appoint a special master to review the matter.
3. After a show cause hearing, Wersant filed a petition asking to voluntarily surrender his law license instead of continuing through the disciplinary process, and both the State Bar and the special master recommended accepting it.
4. The special master flagged the false-documents conviction as especially serious misconduct that would otherwise warrant disbarment, supporting acceptance of the voluntary surrender as an appropriate resolution.
5. The court found this outcome consistent with how it resolved earlier cases involving similar felony convictions, and on that basis accepted the surrender and ordered Wersant's name removed from the rolls of licensed attorneys.

• attorney discipline
• felony conviction
• voluntary surrender of license
• interference with custody
• false documents