--- title: In the Matter of Shelitha Renee Robertson collection: opinions id: S24Y0857 cite_as: In the Matter of Shelitha Renee Robertson, 319 Ga. 531 (2024) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S24Y0857 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S24Y0857.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S24Y0857/text source_url: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10680294/in-the-matter-of-shelitha-renee-robertson/ date: 2024-07-16 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/2024.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S24G0008.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S24Y0534.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/index.md omitted: opinion extras omitted_chars: 1459 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S24Y0857.md?full=1 docket: S24Y0857 citation: 319 Ga. 531 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: 483 date_filed_source: courtlistener record_source: courtlistener also_known_as: - CourtListener cluster 10004187 legal_areas: - professional discipline - criminal law upstream_id: "10680294" summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 --- # In the Matter of Shelitha Renee Robertson Supreme Court of Georgia, docket S24Y0857, filed 2024-07-16, 319 Ga. 531. ## Opinion 319 Ga. 531 FINAL COPY S24Y0857. IN THE MATTER OF SHELITHA RENEE ROBERTSON. PER CURIAM. This disciplinary matter is before the Court on the petition filed by Shelitha Renee Robertson (State Bar No. 609824) seeking the voluntary suspension of her license to practice law pending the outcome of an appeal of her criminal convictions. Robertson, who has been a member of the Bar since 1996, admits that, on December 19, 2023, she was found guilty, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of 18 USC § 1349; three counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 USC § 1343;1 and one count of money 1 Robertson states in her petition that she was found guilty of three counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 USC § 1342, but this appears to be a typographical error: the federal case docket shows that she was found guilty of three counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 USC § 1343. See United States v. Robertson, Criminal Case No. 1:22-cr-00432-SDG-JEM-1, 2023 WL 7703498, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 204248 (N.D. Ga., Nov. 15, 2023). See also 18 USC §§ 1342 (“Fictitious name or address”) and 1343 (“Fraud by wire, radio, or television”). laundering, in violation of 18 USC § 1957. Robertson further acknowledges that her 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. Robertson states that she will notify the State Bar of the final disposition of her direct appeal within ten days of that disposition. The Bar has filed a response recommending that Robertson’s petition be granted. Having reviewed Robertson’s petition, 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 convictions). 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 Shelitha Renee Robertson be suspended from the practice of law in this State pending the outcome of her direct appeal and until further order of this Court. Robertson is ordered to notify the State Bar’s Office of General Counsel in writing within ten days of the final disposition of her direct appeal, and she is reminded of her duties pursuant to Bar Rule 4-219 (b). Petition for interim suspension accepted. Suspended until further order of this Court. All the Justices concur. Decided July 16, 2024. Suspension. Gillen & Lake, Craig A. Gillen, for Robertson. Paula J. Frederick, General Counsel State Bar, James S. Lewis, Andreea N. Morrison, 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 Shelitha Renee Robertson's law license while she appeals her federal wire fraud and money laundering convictions, granting her own request for a voluntary interim suspension. ### Plain-language summary Shelitha Renee Robertson, a Georgia attorney admitted to the Bar since 1996, was found guilty in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. She asked the Supreme Court of Georgia to suspend her law license voluntarily while she appeals those convictions, rather than face disciplinary proceedings right away. Robertson acknowledged that her convictions violate the state's professional conduct rules governing serious crimes, a violation that can carry disbarment as the maximum punishment. The State Bar of Georgia agreed with her request. The court reviewed the petition and accepted it, ordering her suspended from practicing law until her appeal is resolved and the court issues a further order. ### Holding, as summarized The court held that a Georgia attorney's petition for voluntary interim suspension, filed after federal convictions for wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering that violate the rule against serious crimes, should be accepted, suspending her license pending the outcome of her direct appeal. ### Disposition Petition for interim suspension accepted; suspended until further order. All the Justices concur. ### Why it matters The suspension protects clients and the public by barring Robertson from practicing law while serious federal fraud convictions are pending on appeal, while preserving her right to seek reinstatement if the convictions are overturned or resolved favorably. > The summarized reasoning, checked quotes, suggested questions, and the CourtListener opinion records (1,459 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S24Y0857.md?full=1