State Supreme Court disbars two Atlanta lawyers

By Bill Rankin

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday disbarred two Atlanta lawyers for paying "runners" to refer clients to them.

Law partners Steve Freedman and Thomas Sinowski had fiercely litigated the cases against them since 2002. But the court, in a 5-2 ruling, found "their conduct was egregious -- they cast a wide net covering more than 1,300 cases." The ruling said that Freedman and Sinowski paid 46 runners at least $276,025 from 1996 to 1999.

The two dissenting justices, Harold Melton and Harris Hines, said they believed a three-year suspension was the appropriate punishment, considering prior precedent and the seriousness of the offenses.

But the court's majority said disbarment was the appropriate sanction.

"Their scheme was highly organized and very lucrative; and it was not short lived," the ruling said. "They were motivated by greed and they are not remorseful."