In the Matter of Brandon Andrew Cline

── In the Matter of Brandon Andrew Cline ── Court: Supreme Court of Georgia Date: May 19, 2026 Category: General NOTICE: This opinion is subject to modification resulting from motions for reconsideration under Supreme Court Rule 27, the Court’s reconsideration, and editorial revisions by the Reporter of Decisions. The version of the opinion published in the Advance Sheets for the Georgia Reports, designated as the “Final Copy,” will replace any prior version on the Court’s website and docket. A bound volume of the Georgia Reports will contain the final and official text of the opinion. In the Supreme Court of Georgia No. S26Y0954 IN THE MATTER OF BRANDON ANDREW CLINE Decided: May 19, 2026 PER CURIAM. This disciplinary matter is before the Court on the report and recommendation of Special Master Thomas E. Cauthorn III, which recommends that we accept the petition for voluntary surrender of license filed by Brandon Andrew Cline (State Bar No. 170418). Cline, who has been a member of the Bar since 2003, acknowledged in his petition that, by his conduct in misusing his trust account, 1 he violated Rules 1.15(I)(a) and 1.15(II)(b) of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct, which govern the maintenance, holding, and disbursement of personal funds or funds belonging to clients or third persons in a lawyer’s possession. See Bar Rule 4-102(d). The maximum sanction for a violation of each of these Rules is disbarment. Cline further acknowledged that, by his conduct in 1 The misconduct to which Cline admits consists of his having obtained several loans in 2021 and 2022, depositing those funds into his trust account, using those funds for personal and business expenses, transferring money from his business account to cover loan payments, and authorizing automatic debits to his creditors from his trust account, which resulted in numerous overdrafts. abandoning and failing to communicate with a client, 2 he violated Rules 1.2(a), 1.3, 1.4(a), and 1.4(b), which govern a lawyer’s duties with respect to his or her representation of and communications with a client. The maximum sanction for a violation of Rules 1.2(a) and 1.3 is disbarment, and the maximum sanction for a violation of Rule 1.4 is a public reprimand. Based on those admissions, Cline requested that the Court accept his petition to voluntarily surrender his license to practice law, which is tantamount to disbarment. See Bar Rule 1.0(u). The Bar responded, recommending that the special master and the Court accept Cline’s petition, and the special master, as noted, recommends that Cline’s petition be accepted. We have reviewed the record and agree that acceptance of Cline’s petition for voluntary surrender of his license is in the best interests of the Bar and the public and is consistent with prior similar cases. See In the Matter of Stuhler, 291 Ga. 660 (2012) (accepting the voluntary surrender of license from an attorney who violated Rules 1.15(I)(a) and (b) and 1.15(II)(b) by commingling and misusing trust account funds). See also In the Matter of Arrington, 314 Ga. 696 (2022) (concluding that an attorney who violated Rules 1.15(I)(a) and 1.15(II)(b) by commingling and misusing trust account funds should be disbarred); In the Matter of Jackson, 321 Ga. 256 (2025) (concluding that an attorney who abandoned a single client; violated Rules 1.2(a), 1.3, and 1.4(a); and, though he had no prior 2 The misconduct to which Cline admits regarding this matter is that, after taking on a client who sought to contest a traffic citation, Cline failed to attend a hearing, resulting in the issuance of an arrest