--- title: In the Matter of Samuel David Ozburn collection: opinions id: S26Y0523 cite_as: In the Matter of Samuel David Ozburn, S26Y0523 (Ga. June 16, 2026) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26Y0523 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26Y0523.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26Y0523/text source_url: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10875596/in-the-matter-of-samuel-david-ozburn/ date: 2026-06-16 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/2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26A0648.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26Y0581.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/index.md omitted: opinion extras omitted_chars: 1575 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26Y0523.md?full=1 docket: S26Y0523 court: Supreme Court of Georgia case_type: bar discipline authoring_justice: Per Curiam disposition: Voluntary surrender of license accepted vote: All the Justices concur word_count: 722 date_filed_source: courtlistener record_source: courtlistener legal_areas: - professional discipline upstream_id: "10875596" summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 --- # In the Matter of Samuel David Ozburn Supreme Court of Georgia, docket S26Y0523, filed 2026-06-16. ## Opinion NOTICE: This opinion is subject to modification resulting from motions for reconsideration under Supreme Court Rule 27, the Court’s reconsideration, and editorial revisions by the Reporter of Decisions. The version of the opinion published in the Advance Sheets for the Georgia Reports, designated as the “Final Copy,” will replace any prior version on the Court’s website and docket. A bound volume of the Georgia Reports will contain the final and official text of the opinion. In the Supreme Court of Georgia No. S26Y0523 In the Matter of Samuel David Ozburn Decided: June 16, 2026 PER CURIAM. This matter is before the Court on the report and recommendation of Special Master William T. Davis, who recommends that this Court accept the petition for voluntary surrender of license filed by respondent Samuel David Ozburn (State Bar No. 813522). In his petition, Ozburn, who has been a member of the Bar since 2010, admitted that he violated the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct (“GRPC”), see Bar Rule 4- 102(d), with respect to a number of client matters. In one matter, Ozburn admitted that after the client hired him to help her obtain guardianship of her grandchildren and paid part of his fee, he failed to respond to her inquiries, to file a guardianship petition in a prompt manner, or to respond to the Bar when it notified him that it was investigating his conduct in the matter. In these regards, Ozburn acknowledged that he violated Rules 1.4(a), 1 1.5, 2 and 9.3. 3 The maximum penalty for violating each of these Rules is a public reprimand. Regarding the other matters, Ozburn admitted that in serving as the closing attorney for two lenders in 16 real estate transactions, he falsely represented to his clients and other parties that he was an authorized agent of a title insurance company; falsely represented to his clients and other parties that he had secured title insurance with respect to the properties at issue; and received the client funds that would have gone to the title insurer. In these regards, he acknowledged that he violated Rules 1.4(a), 4.1(a), 4 and 8.4(a)(4). 5 As noted above, the maximum penalty for violating Rule 1.4 is a public reprimand; the maximum penalty for violating Rules 4.1(a) and 8.4(a)(4) is disbarment. Based on these admissions, Ozburn asked this Court to 1 Rule 1.4(a) states, in relevant part, “A lawyer shall: (1) promptly inform the client of any decision or circumstance with respect to which the client’s informed consent … is required … (2) reasonably consult with the client about the means by which the client’s objectives are to be accomplished; (3) keep the client reasonably informed about the status of the matter; [and] (4) promptly comply with reasonable requests for information.” (line breaks omitted)). 2 Rule 1.5(a) states that lawyers “shall not make an agreement for, charge, or collect an unreasonable fee or an unreasonable amount for expenses.” 3 Rule 9.3 states, “During the investigation of a matter pursuant to these Rules, the lawyer complained against shall respond to disciplinary authorities in accordance with State Bar Rules.” 4 Rule 4.1(a) states, “In the course of representing a client a lawyer shall not knowingly … make a false statement of material fact or law to a third person.” 5 Rule 8.4(a)(4) states that lawyers violate the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct when they “engage in professional conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.” allow him to voluntarily surrender his license to practice law, which is tantamount to disbarment. See Rule 1.0(u). In its response to Ozburn’s petition, the Bar requested that the petition be accepted, and, as noted, the Special Master likewise recommends that we accept the petition. Having reviewed the record, we accept Ozburn’s petition, as the requested disposition is consistent with our precedent. See, e.g., In the Matter of Moses, 299 Ga. 664, 664 (2016) (accepting petition for voluntary surrender of license: attorney admitted that he violated Rule 8.4(a)(4) by directly invoicing firm’s clients, contravening his firm’s policy, and accepting payments directly from clients that should have been submitted to firm). Accordingly, the name of Samuel David Ozburn is removed from the rolls of persons entitled to practice law in the State of Georgia. Ozburn is reminded of his duties under Bar Rule 4- 219(b). Voluntary surrender of license accepted. All the Justices concur. ## 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 an attorney's request to give up his law license after he admitted mishandling client matters, including falsely claiming he had secured title insurance in 16 real estate closings. ### Plain-language summary Samuel David Ozburn, a Georgia lawyer since 2010, admitted to the State Bar that he mishandled several client matters. In one case, a client hired him to help get guardianship of her grandchildren and paid part of his fee, but he failed to respond to her, never filed the guardianship petition promptly, and ignored the Bar's investigation. In other matters, while serving as closing attorney for two lenders in 16 real estate deals, he falsely told clients and others that he was an authorized agent of a title insurance company and had secured title insurance, then kept client funds that should have gone to the insurer. Ozburn asked the Supreme Court of Georgia for permission to voluntarily surrender his law license rather than face a full disciplinary case, which under the rules counts the same as disbarment. A special master and the State Bar both recommended accepting his request, and the court agreed, removing him from the rolls of lawyers allowed to practice in Georgia. ### Holding, as summarized Because Ozburn admitted violating multiple Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct, including making false statements to clients and engaging in dishonest conduct, and because voluntary surrender of a law license is treated the same as disbarment, the court accepted his petition and removed him from the rolls of Georgia attorneys. ### Disposition Voluntary surrender of license accepted. All the Justices concur. ### Why it matters The decision permanently removes a lawyer from practice in Georgia after he admitted deceiving real estate clients about title insurance and mishandling a guardianship case, protecting future clients and reinforcing that dishonesty in real estate closings and unresponsiveness to clients carry serious professional consequences. > The summarized reasoning, checked quotes, suggested questions, and the CourtListener opinion records (1,575 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26Y0523.md?full=1