After more than 25 years of practice, local attorney Warren "Bo" Pritchard could soon lose his license.
In a filing from the Mahoning County Bar Association, Pritchard is accused of repeatedly engaging in conduct posing a risk to both his clients and the public. The filing also asks that he be immediately suspended.
The action comes as the longtime Austintown trustee has a re-election challenge on Tuesday's ballot, and could soon face a 90-day jail sentence from a year-old drunk driving arrest in Columbiana County. There is also an alleged probation violation from another OVI case in June 2008.
When we stopped at Pritchard's home Monday, there was apparently no one there.
The same held true with his state Route 46 office, where newspapers and a copy of the bar association complaint against him sat uncollected. As part of the motion, the bar claims Pritchard's actions involve dishonestly, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation, and accuses him of making promises to new clients to get their business, obtaining legal fees in advance, and then providing minimal or no legal services.
The complaint also includes affidavits from former clients who complain they paid Pritchard, who then never returned their phone calls, or refunded any of their money. At one point, his alleged refusal to show up for hearings resulted in a bench warrant being issued after he failed to appear in Columbiana County Probate Court and was slapped with a contempt citation.
Neither of Pritchard's colleagues with the township wanted to speak on the record about his problems today.
The same was true with bar association officials, who admit their motion is still in the hands of the Supreme Court.
As of Monday, Pritchard had not paid his annual registration fee with the high court and that could mean a suspension as early as Tuesday.
