In the Matter of Kara Sherrisse Lawrence, 315 Ga. 723

In Feb 2019 a client retained Kara Sherrisse Lawrence for immigration work under a $3,500 flat-fee retainer authorizing debits from the client’s bank account.
Lawrence debited the client multiple times (totaling $5,351.75), including a March 5, 2019 debit made without advance notice and exceeding the authorized $3,500.
Lawrence never successfully entered an appearance in the USCIS portal, made no filings for the client, and her office provided invalid authorization codes; she later abandoned her office and left no contact information.
The client filed a grievance; Lawrence responded inaccurately (misnaming the client as "Mr. Bennett") and produced no supporting evidence or trust-account records; she failed to comply with Bar requests and the subsequent Notice of Investigation.
The State Bar filed a formal complaint (served by publication); Lawrence failed to answer, the special master entered default, found multiple GRPC violations, and recommended disbarment; the Supreme Court of Georgia agreed and ordered disbarment.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Improper fee withdrawals / trust-account violations (GRPC 1.15)	Lawrence withdrew client funds without proper authorization or accounting and exceeded the flat fee.	Lawrence offered no credible documentation; in prior grievance she suggested client refused to accept representation.	Defaulted findings establish violations; misconduct supports maximum sanction.
Abandonment / failure to prosecute client matter (GRPC 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.16)	Lawrence never entered appearance, made no filings, and abandoned the client despite assurances.	Lawrence did not meaningfully contest the allegations; no evidence of effective representation.	Court found abandonment and failure to represent client.
Dishonesty and failure to cooperate with disciplinary process (GRPC 8.1, 8.4, 9.3)	Lawrence misrepresented status of the case to client, misidentified the client in Bar response, and refused to provide records or respond to Bar.	Lawrence provided a deficient oath/response referencing the wrong client and otherwise failed to comply.	Court found dishonest conduct and bad-faith obstruction of disciplinary process.
Appropriate sanction (disbarment vs lesser discipline)	Disbarment is appropriate given intentional misconduct, harm to client, pattern of misconduct, and failure to cooperate.	Mitigation: no prior discipline and limited experience.	Court agreed with special master and disbarred Lawrence.

In the Matter of Morse, 266 Ga. 652 (consideration of ABA Standards for Imposing Lawyer Sanctions)
In the Matter of Bell, 313 Ga. 615 (disbarment where attorney abandoned clients and failed to respond to disciplinary authorities)
In the Matter of Powell, 310 Ga. 859 (disbarment for client abandonment and failure to cooperate)
In the Matter of Bennett, 307 Ga. 679 (disbarment for similar misconduct and noncompliance)
In the Matter of Annis, 306 Ga. 187 (disbarment where attorney abandoned clients)
In the Matter of Miller, 302 Ga. 366 (disbarment for client abandonment and related misconduct)