Attorney William Respess Jr. of Lenoir, NC; ethical gremlin

The state of North Carolina presented William Wallace Respess Jr. with a law license in 1976.

The Grievance Committee of the North Carolina State Bar found Billy guilty of the following misconduct.

In one matter, a female client hired Billy after her release from a drug rehab facility to represent her in a divorce and custody case involving her husband, two children, and distribution of marital property.

Billy, 65 at the time, began to have sex with the client and later made a down-payment on a car for her and also made the monthly payments. Billy also loaned her $5,000 in July 2013 toward the down-payment on a condominium.

In a subsequent deposition related to the client’s divorce case, Billy lied under oath by saying that he previously had sex with a client only once, in 1999 with a client identified as L.B. However, the complaint says, Respess had sex in 1982 and 1983 with a client identified as P.H. and in 1988 with a client identified as M.C.

Because Attorney Misfits in North Carolina are held to a much lower standard of conduct then everyone else, Billy has not been criminally charged with perjury.

All that’s left now is to see what, if any punishment is meted out to Billy for screwing multiple clients.

As we speak (ca. July 2014), Billy continues to practice his brand of law in the Lenoir, North Carolina area.