Attorney Scott Combs of Plymouth, MI; ethical ogre

The State of Michigan presented Scott E. Combs with a law license in 1984 after he graduated from the University of Detroit School of Law.

FYI: The University Detroit is ranked as the 164th best law school in the country out of 202 ABA accredited schools.

The Tri-County Hearing Panel #7 found Scotty guilty of engaging in the following misconduct.

• Comitted professional misconduct by regularly misusing his IOLTA trust account
• Filed an action of behalf of a client without authority to do so
• Failed to keep a client reasonably informed about the status of a matter
• Failed to explain a matter to the extent reasonably necessary to permit the client to make informed decisions regarding the representation
• Engaged in a conflict of interest as a result of representing a client, when doing so may have been materially limited by Scotty’s own interest
• Held funds other than client or third-party funds in an IOLTA account
• Failed to, upon request of his client, promptly render a full accounting of settlement funds
• Commingled client funds with personal funds
• Engaged in conduct involving fraud, deceit, dishonesty, or misrepresentation
• Failed ailed to promptly distribute all portions of the funds held in the IOLTA which were not in dispute
• Knowingly made a false statement of material fact or law to a tribunal and/or failed to correct a false statement of material fact made to a tribunal
• Engaged in conduct reflected adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness, and fitness as a lawyer

As a direct consequence of his misconduct, the apologists for Attorney Misfits sitting on the Michigan Supreme Court punished Scotty by gifting him with a complimentary 3-year suspension of his law license effective October 2020, and ordered to pay restitution totaling $19,725.10.

As we speak (ca. May 2021), Scotty will resume practicing his brand of law with the Law Offices of Scott E. Combs at 45600 Mast Street in Plymouth, Michigan.