Attorney Gerald Smith of Avon Lake, OH; cheating liar

The State of Ohio provided Gerald Morton Smith with a law license in 1961 after he graduated from Cleveland State University Law School.

The Lorain County Bar Association has charged Gerry with engaging in the following misconduct

• Charged and received improper fee by telling client who had criminal case that he needed additional funds to make donation to former Common Pleas judge Edward Zaleski
• Advised client to pay additional fee so he could make political donation to former Amherst Police Chief Lonnie Dillon
• Lied to client and kept money he told client was to be given to judge Zaleski and Police Chief Dillon
• Collected false campaign contributions funds from client for the sole purpose of improperly raising his fee (defrauding client)

Robert Gonzalez was the defendant who hired Doug to represent him. At the outset, family members of Gonzalez were told that it would cost them $25,000, $5,000 for each felony to represent him.

While in lockup, Gonzalez told of Doug’s associates to bring him his Ford retirement documents so that he could receive his $50,000 retirement bonus. Shortly after Gonzalez was released on bond he went meet with Doug at his office. At the meeting, Doug told Gonzalez “this is going to cost you an extra $50,000.” Doug told Gonzalez that the additional fee was due to the fact that his was a “big case” that would cause embarrassment to the Amherst Police Department. He then told Gonzalez that a portion of the $50,000 would go to Judge Zaleski and Police Chief Dillon.

Gonzalez then asked Doug, “isn’t this bribery?” Doug responded by saying, “we do this with big cases and it’s called a donation.” Doug then told Gonzalez that he would not likely be serving any prison time. Shortly thereafter, Gonzalez paid Doug $40,000 that he received from Ford.

All that Doug has to wait for is to see what if any punishment the enablers for Attorney Misfits sitting on the Ohio Supreme Court mete out to him. If all goes well, he’ll likely receive a complimentary reprimand.

Because Attorney Misfits in Ohio are held to a much lower standard of conduct then everyone else, Doug has not been criminally charged with fraud.

As we speak (ca. July 2015), Gerry practices with Gerald M. Smith Co. LPA at 110 Moore Road in Avon Lake, Ohio, which is about 24 miles west of Cleveland.