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 Decided: February 21, 2023 S23Y0269. IN THE MATTER OF KARA SHERRISSE LAWRENCE. PER CURIAM. This disciplinary matter is before the Court on the Report and Recommendation of special master Catherine Koura, who recommends that Respondent Kara Sherrisse Lawrence (State Bar No. 534355) be disbarred for her multiple violations of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct (“GRPC”) in connection with her representation of a single client. See Bar Rule 4-218. Having reviewed the record, we agree that disbarment is the appropriate sanction in this case. The record before this Court reflects that, in June 2020, the State Bar filed and served the underlying formal complaint by publication. Lawrence, who was admitted to the Bar in 2016, failed to answer the formal complaint, and the special master granted the State Bar’s motion for default. See Bar Rule 4-212 (a). The special master then found that Lawrence, through her default, was deemed to admit the following allegations of the formal complaint. In February 2019, a client hired Lawrence to initiate and handle his immigration matter. The client signed an attorney-client retainer agreement, which provided for a $3,500 retainer as a “flat fee in lieu of [Lawrence]’s hourly rate” and authorized Lawrence to debit that amount from the client’s bank account. The agreement specified that the attorney-client relationship between Lawrence and the client would continue until “completion of the matter or upon earlier termination of the relationship as provided” in the agreement. Neither Lawrence nor the client ever took steps to cancel or terminate the agreement. On February 22, 2019, Lawrence debited $1,000 from the client’s account as a deposit on the retainer. Several days later, she debited another $1,030. Then, on March 5, 2019, she debited another $3,321.75 from the client’s account. Lawrence provided the 2 client no advance notice of the March 5 debit and no notice that she was debiting more in total than the $3,500 he had authorized. The United States Customs and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) has an online portal for processing immigration claims. When an attorney is involved in an immigration claim, the client is required to accept the lawyer’s representation within the online portal. Lawrence’s client and his daughter repeatedly attempted to contact Lawrence to learn how to accept her representation in the portal and to learn of the status of the client’s matter. On several occasions, a person in Lawrence’s office sent the client a “code” to use to accept the representation, but none of the codes were valid. Thus, Lawrence never entered an appearance in …
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