The Missouri Supreme Court has disbarred a Columbia attorney accused of misusing client trust accounts.
The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that Michael Blum was disbarred Tuesday and fined $2,000. Blum was found to have violated rules for attorney conduct 17 times, including 14 violations of misusing trust accounts at the firm Blum and Ray.
Money is placed into trust accounts in advance of services and is meant to be withdrawn as the firm works for a client.
Complaints say Blum didn’t file petitions for clients in bankruptcy cases and that he improperly used money for operating expenses for the firm as well as personal expenses.
Blum has said that when he joined the law firm, the other lawyer hadn’t transferred $60,000 to the firm’s trust account that should’ve been there and those circumstances led to Blum’s activities.
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