Attorney: William Thomas Moody
Location: Murrells Inlet
Bar membership: Member since 1991
Disciplinary action: Disbarred on Oct. 15
Background: Moody invested $15,000 of a client’s trust funds in a commercial real estate venture arranged by Moody’s friend. The venture was unsuccessful, and the funds were lost. When the client became old enough to access his trust funds, Moody determined that he needed to repay the trust the lost funds, plus interest. Moody had received $50,000 on behalf of the estate of an unrelated client for renovations on estate property. Moody registered an entity called HCJ Enterprises, with the S.C. Secretary of State and named himself the registered agent. He then transferred money from his law firm’s trust account to HCJ, and wrote a check from HCJ to the trust of the first client to replace the lost funds. He also made other withdrawals from the HCJ account and used them for his personal benefit. In other matters, Moody also failed to diligently pursue client matters, failed to keep clients apprised of the status of their case, represented clients when there was a risk of a conflict of interest, continued to communicate with a client about his case during respondent’s suspension from the practice of law, and made a misrepresentation to a court.
Previous discipline: Moody was placed on interim suspension Jan. 27.
All information contained in the Bar Discipline Roundup is compiled from orders issued by the South Carolina Supreme Court and edited by staff writer David Donovan. He can be reached at david.donovan@sclawyersweekly.com