HAMILTON, Ohio — A Hamilton lawyer has been permanently disbarred from practicing law in Ohio after stealing from his clients.
In May 2023, a grand jury indicted Dennis Lee Adams for theft by deception, grand theft and receiving stolen property. On Oct. 6, 2023, Adams pleaded guilty to lesser charges of theft by deception and grand theft.
According to court documents, Adams spent $12,492.67 worth of his client's settlement funds on personal expenses from July 2017 to October 2020. Our editorial partners at the Journal-News report Adams spent the money on things like vacations, doctor's visits, and plane tickets.
In a court filing made Tuesday, Adams was ordered to immediately stop practicing law and pay $12,971.74 in restitution to his clients Teresa and Jerry McAdams. Adams also must pay thousands of dollars in restitution to Kevin Connell, FedeEx Custom Critical, Inc. and Elieen Weske.
Adams is no longer allowed to give any legal advice to others or represent anyone before any of the following in the state of Ohio:
- Court
- Judge
- Commission
- Board
- Administrative Agency
- Other public authorities
Adams began practicing law in Ohio in 1997 and was a public defender in Butler County for 12 years.
“Lawyers have what are called ‘client trust accounts,’ and when they are representing in civil cases in which money comes to clients, it passes through the hands of an attorney representing the client going into the trust account for distribution,” Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser told our editorial partners at the Journal-News. “The attorney has a fiduciary responsibility to maintain that client trust account and not make any improper disbursement.”
If Adams wants to work for another law firm or attorney in the future, the company must first comply with certain registration requirements and he is only allowed to have limited direct contact with clients and may not handle any of their trust funds or property, according to the disbarment filings.
The court also said that Adams could no longer work for any law firm or attorney he was associated with when he committed the crimes that led to his disbarment.
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