The West Virginia Supreme Court has suspended the license of a Charleston attorney after the state's Office of Disciplinary Counsel said he committed "several violations of the West Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct."
David L. White has 10 open ethics complaints against him and is under investigation by the ODC, the office wrote in its petition. The complaints generally allege a lack of diligence and communication and failures to expedite litigation, to surrender client files and to refund unearned fees, the petition says.
White's clients say they have been unable to reach him by phone and that his office on Summers Street appears to be vacant, the petition says.
The suspension is temporary and a full disciplinary hearing is forthcoming, said Renee Frymyer, lawyer disciplinary counsel at the ODC. The Supreme Court authorized Chief Kanawha Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey to appoint a trustee to handle White's clients.