Background
Lisa Paige Lenn had been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 1999. In January 2025, she entered a guilty plea in Cobb County Superior Court to one count of terroristic threats, a felony offense. Her felony conviction triggered disciplinary proceedings under the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct.
Before a formal complaint was issued, Lenn filed a petition for voluntary discipline under Bar Rule 4-227(b), admitting that her conduct violated Rule 8.4(a)(2) of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct, which provides that it is a violation for a lawyer to be convicted of a felony. The maximum penalty for such a violation is disbarment. In her petition, Lenn sought to voluntarily surrender her law license, acknowledging that this is tantamount to disbarment. The State Bar supported acceptance of the petition as being in the best interest of the public and the profession.
The Court’s Holding
The Supreme Court of Georgia, acting on the report and recommendation of Special Master Kevin Bernard Hicks, accepted Lenn’s petition for voluntary surrender of her license. The Court ordered that Lenn’s name be removed from the rolls of persons entitled to practice law in the State of Georgia. All justices concurred in the decision.
The Court cited two prior decisions as precedent for accepting a voluntary surrender of license based on a Rule 8.4(a)(2) violation: In the Matter of Williams, 291 Ga. 659 (2012), and In the Matter of Campbell, 282 Ga. 688 (2007). The Court also reminded Lenn of her ongoing duties under Bar Rule 4-219(b), which governs an attorney’s obligations following disbarment or surrender of license.
Key Takeaways
- A felony conviction — here, terroristic threats — constitutes a per se violation of Georgia Rule of Professional Conduct 8.4(a)(2) and exposes an attorney to disbarment.
- Voluntary surrender of a law license prior to issuance of a formal complaint is treated as equivalent to disbarment under Georgia disciplinary rules.
- The Georgia Supreme Court will accept a petition for voluntary surrender where the State Bar agrees the action serves the public interest and the profession.
- Attorneys who surrender or are disbarred remain subject to ongoing obligations under Bar Rule 4-219(b).
Why It Matters
This case reinforces that a felony conviction — regardless of whether it relates directly to law practice — can end an attorney’s career in Georgia. Rule 8.4(a)(2) draws a bright line: conviction of any felony is professional misconduct carrying the possibility of the ultimate sanction of disbarment.
For practitioners, the decision underscores the value of the voluntary surrender mechanism, which allows an attorney facing certain disbarment to resolve disciplinary proceedings before a formal complaint is filed. While the outcome is identical — removal from the rolls — the process can be faster and less adversarial, and the State Bar’s willingness to join in recommending acceptance signals that cooperation can influence how proceedings unfold even when the underlying conduct is serious.