--- title: In the Matter of Debra Kaye Scott collection: opinions id: S22Y0508 cite_as: In the Matter of Debra Kaye Scott, 315 Ga. 474 (2023) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0508 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0508.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0508/text source_url: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10680182/in-the-matter-of-debra-kaye-scott/ date: 2023-01-18 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/2023.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22A0979.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S23Y0306.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/index.md omitted: opinion extras omitted_chars: 1251 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0508.md?full=1 docket: S22Y0508 citation: 315 Ga. 474 court: Supreme Court of Georgia case_type: bar discipline authoring_justice: Per Curiam disposition: Suspended until reprimand administered vote: All the Justices concur word_count: 265 date_filed_source: courtlistener citations: - 883 S.E.2d 317 record_source: courtlistener legal_areas: - professional discipline other_opinions: - https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0508/10679917.md upstream_id: "10680182" summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 --- # In the Matter of Debra Kaye Scott Supreme Court of Georgia, docket S22Y0508, filed 2023-01-18, 315 Ga. 474. Other opinions in this docket: In the Matter of Debra Kaye Scott (2022-04-19) https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0508/10679917.md ## Opinion 315 Ga. 474 FINAL COPY S22Y0508. IN THE MATTER OF DEBRA KAYE SCOTT. PER CURIAM. This matter is before the Court on the State Bar’s motion for suspension of Respondent Debra Kaye Scott (State Bar No. 631980). On April 19, 2022, this Court accepted Scott’s petition for voluntary discipline and ordered Scott to receive a State Disciplinary Review Board reprimand for her admitted violations of Rules 1.4 and 1.5 (b) of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct, see Bar Rule 4-102 (d), in separate disciplinary matters.1 See In the Matter of Scott, 313 Ga. 618 (872 SE2d 279) (2022). Although Scott was notified on several occasions to appear for the reprimand, she failed to appear at the dates and times specified for the reprimand. Therefore, the Court hereby suspends Scott from the practice of law from the date of this 1 We note that the State Bar’s website lists Ms. Scott as being “Administrative[ly] Suspen[ded]” for failure to pay license fees. opinion until such time as the reprimand is administered. See Bar Rule 4-109. Once Scott appears for and is administered the reprimand and the State Bar confirms that Scott received her reprimand, the State Bar is directed to file a motion in this Court to lift the suspension. Scott is reminded of her duties under Bar Rule 4-219 (b). Suspended until reprimand administered. All the Justices concur. Decided January 18, 2023. Suspension. Paula J. Frederick, General Counsel State Bar, William D. NeSmith III, Deputy General Counsel State Bar, Jenny K. Mittelman, Wolanda R. Shelton, Assistant General Counsel State Bar, for State Bar of Georgia. ## 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 suspended attorney Debra Kaye Scott from practicing law after she repeatedly failed to show up to receive a disciplinary reprimand the court had already ordered. ### Plain-language summary Debra Kaye Scott is a Georgia lawyer who admitted to violating professional conduct rules by failing to properly communicate with clients and by mishandling fee arrangements. In April 2022 the Supreme Court of Georgia accepted her request for discipline and ordered that she receive a formal reprimand from the State Disciplinary Review Board rather than a harsher punishment. The problem was that Scott never showed up. Despite being notified multiple times of the dates and times set for her reprimand, she did not appear. The State Bar asked the court to suspend her law license until she finally attends and receives the reprimand. The court agreed, suspending Scott from practicing law starting immediately and continuing until she appears, is reprimanded, and the State Bar confirms this to the court. ### Holding, as summarized An attorney who repeatedly fails to appear for a previously ordered disciplinary reprimand may be suspended from the practice of law until she appears and the reprimand is actually administered, with reinstatement contingent on the State Bar confirming compliance. ### Disposition Suspended until reprimand administered. All the Justices concur. ### Why it matters Georgia lawyers who ignore disciplinary proceedings can lose their ability to practice law entirely until they comply, which protects clients from attorneys who avoid accountability and reinforces that court-ordered discipline is not optional or something to be dodged. > The summarized reasoning, checked quotes, suggested questions, and the CourtListener opinion records (1,251 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S22Y0508.md?full=1