Court disbars Atlanta lawyer
The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday disbarred Atlanta lawyer Ralph Joseph Hiers from practicing law for abandoning a client.
Hiers, a Georgia lawyer since 1996, previously received a reprimand in June 2012, the court noted. In the present case, Hiers was retained by a woman in a 2011 divorce case but, after initial discussions, never contacted her again, the opinion said. After she filed a complaint, Hiers told a State Bar panel he had been experiencing serious health issues and acknowledged he owed the client a refund, but he failed to follow up on that, the court said.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
