--- title: In the Matter of Carl Lawrence Collins collection: opinions id: S23Y1064 cite_as: In the Matter of Carl Lawrence Collins, 317 Ga. 725 (2023) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S23Y1064 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S23Y1064.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S23Y1064/text source_url: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10679995/in-the-matter-of-carl-lawrence-collins/ date: 2023-11-07 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/S23Y0970.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S23A0846.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/index.md omitted: opinion extras omitted_chars: 1239 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S23Y1064.md?full=1 docket: S23Y1064 citation: 317 Ga. 725 court: Supreme Court of Georgia case_type: bar discipline authoring_justice: Per Curiam disposition: Petition for interim suspension accepted; suspended until further order vote: All the Justices concur word_count: 375 date_filed_source: courtlistener citations: - 895 S.E.2d 282 record_source: courtlistener legal_areas: - professional discipline upstream_id: "10679995" summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 --- # In the Matter of Carl Lawrence Collins Supreme Court of Georgia, docket S23Y1064, filed 2023-11-07, 317 Ga. 725. ## Opinion 317 Ga. 725 FINAL COPY S23Y1064. IN THE MATTER OF CARL LAWRENCE COLLINS. PER CURIAM. This disciplinary matter is before the Court on the petition filed by Carl Lawrence Collins (State Bar No. 110769) seeking the voluntary suspension of his license to practice law pending the outcome of an appeal of his criminal convictions. Collins, who has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 2014, admits that, on November 16, 2022, he was found guilty, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, of five counts of making a false tax return, in violation of 26 USC § 7206 (1). Collins further acknowledges that his convictions constitute violations of Rule 8.4 (a) (2) of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct, found in Bar Rule 4-102 (d). The maximum penalty for a violation of Rule 8.4 (a) (2) is disbarment. The Bar did not file a response to Collins’s petition, and Special Master Michael Joseph Blakely, Jr., filed a report and recommendation suggesting that this Court accept Collins’s petition. Having reviewed Collins’s petition and the special master’s report, we agree that the petition should be accepted. See In the Matter of Rachel, 297 Ga. 279 (773 SE2d 246) (2015) (accepting petition seeking voluntary suspension of license pending outcome of appeal of criminal conviction). See also In the Matter of Swank, 288 Ga. 479 (704 SE2d 807) (2011) (accepting petition for interim suspension during pendency of criminal charges). Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that Carl Lawrence Collins be suspended from the practice of law in this State pending the outcome of his direct appeal and until further order of this Court. Collins is ordered to notify the State Bar’s Office of General Counsel in writing within ten days of the final disposition of his direct appeal, and he is further ordered to comply with the notification and other requirements of Bar Rule 4- 219 (b). Petition for interim suspension accepted. Suspended until further order of this Court. All the Justices concur. Decided November 7, 2023. Suspension. 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. ## 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 Carl Lawrence Collins from practicing law while he appeals his federal tax fraud convictions, accepting his own request for the interim suspension. ### Plain-language summary Carl Lawrence Collins, a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 2014, was found guilty in a federal court in Michigan of five counts of filing false tax returns. Because those convictions violate the ethics rule barring lawyers from committing serious crimes, Collins asked the Supreme Court of Georgia to voluntarily suspend his law license while he appeals the convictions, rather than face other proceedings while the appeal is pending. The State Bar did not object, and the special master assigned to review the case recommended accepting Collins's request. The Supreme Court of Georgia agreed, ordering Collins suspended from practicing law until his appeal is finished and the court issues further orders, and requiring him to notify the Bar in writing once his appeal is resolved. ### Holding, as summarized The court accepted Collins's petition for voluntary interim suspension, holding that his federal convictions for filing false tax returns violate the rule against lawyers committing crimes that reflect adversely on their fitness to practice, warranting suspension pending his appeal. ### Disposition Petition for interim suspension accepted; suspended until further order. All the Justices concur. ### Why it matters The case shows how Georgia protects clients and the legal system by removing lawyers from practice once they are convicted of serious crimes, even while an appeal is still pending, rather than waiting years for a final resolution. > The summarized reasoning, checked quotes, suggested questions, and the CourtListener opinion records (1,239 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S23Y1064.md?full=1