In a decisive move to protect the public from unethical practice, the Supreme Court of Georgia ordered the permanent disbarment of attorney Justin Allen Chin. The ruling, effective July 22, 2025, ended the career of the 2012 Bar member following findings of severe professional misconduct across eight separate client matters, marked by client neglect and the highly egregious act of misappropriating client funds.
The Core Misconduct: Theft and Abandonment
Chin’s disciplinary case was a textbook example of a lawyer engaging in a broad pattern of failure. Because he failed to file timely answers to the formal complaints, all allegations against him were legally deemed admitted by default, cementing the following facts:
1. Misappropriation of Client Funds (IOLTA Violation)
This was the most severe violation. Chin was charged with the conversion and commingling of client funds. In one case, a client testified she had not received proceeds from the sale of her marital home that were designated for disbursement by Chin. The intentional misuse or commingling of client funds is a breach of fiduciary duty that almost always results in disbarment.
2. Widespread Client Neglect
Across eight separate family law cases, many involving vulnerable clients and high-stakes custody disputes, Chin repeatedly failed to act:
- Lack of Diligence: He failed to diligently pursue clients’ divorce and custody cases, allowing matters to stall and leaving clients in legal limbo.
- Unauthorized Withdrawal: In at least one case, he filed a motion to withdraw from a client’s case without informing her of his intent, abandoning her without counsel.
3. Discovery Abuse and Personal Sanctions
Chin demonstrated flagrant disregard for court procedure:
- In one case, his failure to respond to discovery requests and a motion to compel resulted in the court granting the motion and awarding attorney’s fees as sanctions—not against the client, but against Chin personally.
- Crucially, Chin then failed to inform the client about the personal sanctions ordered against him, further concealing his misconduct.
The Final Sanction: Why Disbarment Was Mandatory
The Special Master initially recommended an 18-month suspension, concluding that Chin’s actions were merely negligent. However, the Review Board and the Supreme Court of Georgia emphatically rejected this finding, stating that the combination of his actions required the ultimate penalty.
The Supreme Court based its final decision on several overwhelming aggravating factors:
- Knowing Misconduct: The Court ruled that Chin’s actions, particularly the misappropriation and lying, were knowing, not just negligent.
- Vulnerability of Victims: His misconduct caused actual and potential injury to clients in emotionally fraught custody and divorce disputes.
- Pattern of Misconduct: Chin violated a total of 17 Rules of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct (GRPC) across eight separate cases, demonstrating a systemic failure.
- Dishonest/Selfish Motive: His actions were motivated by personal gain (misappropriation) and a desire to conceal his failures (hiding sanctions).
The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed its zero-tolerance policy: when a lawyer engages in a broad pattern of misconduct and the violations include the severe offense of knowing conversion of client property, disbarment is the only sanction that adequately protects the public interest.
Conclusion: The High Price of Dishonesty
The disbarment of Justin Allen Chin serves as a powerful and unambiguous warning to the entire Bar. While client neglect is serious, the combination of client abandonment, concealment, and the theft of client funds proves that the attorney placed his own self-interest and finances above the sacred fiduciary duty owed to his clients.
The Supreme Court’s decision to disbar him permanently upholds the integrity of the Georgia legal system and ensures that lawyers who violate the absolute rules of financial honesty will permanently forfeit their privilege to practice law.