Lawyer’s Punishment Too Lenient, Says Georgia High Court

Georgia’s highest court rejected as too lenient a proposed reprimand for an Atlanta bankruptcy lawyer who, while representing himself during divorce proceedings, sent inappropriate and harassing emails to opposing counsel. John Michael Spain pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of stalking and sending harassing communications to opposing counsel, including threatening language, intimidation, and personal attacks on the counsel and her family. Spain had cited his personal and emotional problems related to the marriage as a mitigating factor, and noted that he has since gotten professional help and hired a lawyer to represent him. But the State Bar of Georgia’s reprimand is inappropriate “for such a serious violation,” the Georgia Supreme Court ruled.