--- title: In the Matter of William Jason Rowland collection: opinions id: S26Y1005 cite_as: In the Matter of William Jason Rowland, S26Y1005 (Ga. Aug. 11, 2026) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26Y1005 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26Y1005.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26Y1005/text source_url: https://www.gasupreme.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/s26y1005.pdf date: 2026-08-11 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/S26Y0945.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S16Y0723.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/index.md omitted: opinion extras omitted_chars: 1233 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26Y1005.md?full=1 docket: S26Y1005 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: 376 date_filed_source: courtlistener record_source: gasupreme legal_areas: - professional discipline upstream_id: ga-s26y1005 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 --- # In the Matter of William Jason Rowland Supreme Court of Georgia, docket S26Y1005, filed 2026-08-11. ## 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. S26Y1005 In the Matter of William Jason Rowland Decided: August 11, 2026 Per Curiam. This disciplinary matter is before the Court on the petition for voluntary surrender of license filed by William Jason Rowland (State Bar No. 972807) prior to the issuance of a formal complaint under Bar Rule 4-227(b)(2). In his petition, Rowland, who has been a member of the Bar since 2013, admits that, on November 17, 2025, he entered a guilty plea in the Superior Court of Johnson County to one felony count of aggravated assault. By this conduct, Rowland acknowledges that he violated Rule 8.4(a)(2)1 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. Rowland seeks to voluntarily surrender his license to practice law, which he acknowledges is tantamount to disbarment. Rule 1.0(u). The State Bar responds that it believes it is in the best interest of the public and the profession for the Court to accept Rowland’s petition for voluntary surrender. 1 This Rule provides that “[i]t shall be a violation of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct for a lawyer to … be convicted of a felony.” For purposes of this Rule, a conviction shall include “a guilty plea.” Rule 8.4(b)(1); Rule 1.0(f)(1). We have reviewed the record and agree to accept Rowland’s petition for voluntary surrender of his license. See In the Matter of Jones, 320 Ga. 448 (2024) (accepting voluntary surrender of license where attorney violated Rule 8.4(a)(2)). Accordingly, the name of William Jason Rowland is hereby removed from the rolls of persons entitled to practice law in the State of Georgia. Rowland 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 voluntarily give up his law license after he pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault, a step the court treats the same as disbarment. ### Plain-language summary William Jason Rowland, a Georgia lawyer since 2013, pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of Johnson County on November 17, 2025, to one felony count of aggravated assault. Before the State Bar filed a formal complaint against him, Rowland asked the Supreme Court of Georgia for permission to voluntarily surrender his law license rather than go through disciplinary proceedings. The felony conviction violated a rule of professional conduct that bars lawyers from being convicted of felonies, and the maximum punishment for that violation is disbarment. The State Bar told the court it believed accepting the surrender was in the best interest of the public and the legal profession. The court agreed, accepted the surrender, and removed Rowland's name from the rolls of people allowed to practice law in Georgia. ### Holding, as summarized An attorney who pleads guilty to a felony violates the rule against lawyers being convicted of felonies, and when that attorney seeks to voluntarily surrender his license rather than face disciplinary proceedings, the court may accept the surrender as equivalent to disbarment. ### Disposition Voluntary surrender of license accepted. All the Justices concur. ### Why it matters The decision removes a convicted felon from the practice of law in Georgia, protecting clients and the public from being represented by someone convicted of a violent felony, and it shows how the Supreme Court of Georgia handles attorneys who seek to avoid formal disciplinary hearings after criminal convictions. > The summarized reasoning, checked quotes, suggested questions (1,233 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/opinions/S26Y1005.md?full=1