--- title: In the Matter of Billy Reid Zeh, III collection: opinions id: S22Y0231 cite_as: In the Matter of Billy Reid Zeh, III, 313 Ga. 56 (2021) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0231 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0231.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0231/text source_url: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10367645/in-the-matter-of-billy-reid-zeh-iii/ date: 2021-12-14 status: published corpus_version: opinions-2026-09-14 license: Public record of the Supreme Court of Georgia, via CourtListener and the court's own website; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/2021.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0046.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S21A1079.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/index.md omitted: opinion extras omitted_chars: 1326 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0231.md?full=1 docket: S22Y0231 citation: 313 Ga. 56 court: Supreme Court of Georgia case_type: bar discipline authoring_justice: Per Curiam disposition: Voluntary surrender of license accepted, tantamount to disbarment vote: All the Justices concur word_count: 508 date_filed_source: courtlistener citations: - 867 S.E.2d 124 record_source: courtlistener legal_areas: - professional discipline upstream_id: "10367645" summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 --- # In the Matter of Billy Reid Zeh, III Supreme Court of Georgia, docket S22Y0231, filed 2021-12-14, 313 Ga. 56. ## Opinion 313 Ga. 56 FINAL COPY S22Y0231. IN THE MATTER OF BILLY REID ZEH III. PER CURIAM. This disciplinary matter is before the Court on a petition for voluntary surrender of license filed by Billy Reid Zeh, III (State Bar No. 784827), prior to the issuance of a formal complaint under Bar Rule 4-227 (b) (2) and without requiring the Office of General Counsel to commence a proceeding under Bar Rule 4-106. In his petition, Zeh, who has been a member of the Georgia Bar since 2001, admits that on August 16, 2021, in the Superior Court of Glynn County, he entered an Alford1 plea to one count of aggravated assault and one count of simple assault. He was sentenced under the First Offender Act, see OCGA § 42-8-60, and given a total sentence of five years to serve on probation, with credit received for time previously served in custody from August 21, 2019, to April 17, 1 North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 38 (91 SCt 160, 27 LE2d 162) (1970). 2020.2 Zeh admits that, by virtue of his guilty plea entered in the criminal case, he has violated Rules 8.4 (a) (2) and (a) (3) of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct found in Bar Rule 4-102 (d). The maximum penalty for a violation of Rules 8.4 (a) (2) and (a) (3) is disbarment. The State Bar has filed a response, asking that we grant Zeh’s petition in consideration of this Court’s compelling interest in “the public’s confidence in the profession,” In the Matter of Skandalakis, 279 Ga. 865, 866 (2) (621 SE2d 750) (2005), and because Zeh’s misconduct warrants disbarment. See In the Matter of Collins, 263 Ga. 185, 185 (429 SE2d 908) (1993). Having reviewed the petition, we agree to accept Zeh’s petition for voluntary surrender of license, which is tantamount to 2 In his petition, Zeh stated that while he was in custody, he worked with and directed his office assistant to ensure that all existing clients secured new counsel and that client files were promptly transferred; and that following his release from custody, he voluntarily decided to keep his law office closed. In its response to Zeh’s petition, the State Bar states that insofar as it may later impact Zeh’s eligibility for reinstatement, it does not contest his assertion that following his release from custody, he voluntarily decided to keep his office closed and has not returned to the practice of law. disbarment. See Rule 1.0 (r). Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that the name of Billy Reid Zeh III be removed from the rolls of persons authorized to practice law in the State of Georgia. Zeh is reminded of his duties pursuant to Bar Rule 4-219 (b). Voluntary surrender of license accepted. All the Justices concur. Decided December 14, 2021. Voluntary surrender of license. Paula J. Frederick, General Counsel State Bar, William D. NeSmith III, Deputy General Counsel State Bar, Jenny K. Mittelman, James S. Lewis, Assistant General Counsel State Bar, for State Bar of Georgia. Warren R. Hinds, for Zeh. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the opinion above and is not part of the court's opinion. Quote the opinion, not the summary. The Supreme Court of Georgia accepted a Glynn County lawyer's request to voluntarily surrender his law license after he pleaded guilty to assault charges, a move the court treated as equal to disbarment. ### Plain-language summary Billy Reid Zeh III, a member of the Georgia Bar since 2001, entered an Alford plea in the Superior Court of Glynn County to one count of aggravated assault and one count of simple assault. An Alford plea lets a defendant accept a conviction while not admitting guilt. He was sentenced under Georgia's First Offender Act to five years on probation, with credit for earlier jail time. Before the State Bar filed formal disciplinary charges, Zeh asked the Supreme Court of Georgia to let him voluntarily surrender his law license rather than face a full disciplinary case. He admitted the guilty plea violated professional conduct rules barring criminal acts reflecting adversely on honesty and fitness to practice law. The State Bar supported the request, noting the misconduct would otherwise warrant disbarment. The court agreed, treating the surrender as equivalent to disbarment and removing Zeh from Georgia's rolls of licensed attorneys. ### Holding, as summarized The court held that Zeh's Alford plea to aggravated assault and simple assault violated Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct 8.4(a)(2) and (a)(3), warranting removal from practice, and accepted his voluntary surrender of license as equivalent to disbarment. ### Disposition Voluntary surrender of license accepted, tantamount to disbarment. All the Justices concur. ### Why it matters The decision removes a Georgia attorney from practice following a criminal conviction, protecting clients and the public from a lawyer with an assault conviction, and it reinforces that the State Bar and courts treat serious criminal misconduct by lawyers as grounds for losing the right to practice. > The summarized reasoning, checked quotes, suggested questions, and the CourtListener opinion records (1,326 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0231.md?full=1