Roswell Lawyer Given 'Public Reprimand' by State Supreme Court

Roswell lawyer James Swain could have been disbarred for illegally notarizing a document for his client; but instead, the Georgia State Supreme Court gave him a public reprimand.

In order to facilitate the creation of a trust, Swain had given his client documents to have his father sign. When the client returned with only the father's unnotarized signature, Swain - who specializes in helping military veterans and their families obtain Aid and Attendance Pension benefits - called the father in the presence of two witnesses to verify his signature and notarized the document himself.

A seemingly small, but legally wrong thing to do, Swain was brought before the State Supreme Court for the act. The disciplinary matter was the first in Swain's 26-year history as a lawyer, according to state documents. He was adamant that nothing similar would happen again and given a "public reprimand" by the court.