AUSTIN, Texas — More allegations have been brought against a Hays County attorney who is already facing legal troubles.
The State Bar of Texas already sanctioned Dorothy Lawrence for professional misconduct last month, after several former clients and attorneys complained about her mishandling cases and allowing a former employee, who isn’t licensed to practice law, to work on them.
But the KVUE Defenders are hearing from more former clients, who say Lawrence made a mess of their legal matters.
On the day the Defenders visited Robert Jones at his South Austin home, he laid out enough paperwork to cover his kitchen table.
The paperwork consisted of several phone calls and dozens of emails between Jones and his one-time attorney, Dorothy Lawrence.
Jones said the documentation is a timeline showing what he claims is proof Lawrence mishandled work on his legal matters.
"She just dropped the ball," Jones said.
Jones said he first reached out to Lawrence in February 2023. He needed help with his tax returns for his consulting business and himself.
After turning over tax documents and the information requested, Jones said he started getting the run-around.
"Every time I spoke to someone, they said, 'Well, we don't have your file.' And I was concerned. I was like, 'What do you mean you don't have my file?'" Jones said.
For months, Jones said he also couldn't get a direct call back from Lawrence.
"According to my phone records, she never returned my call at all," Jones said.
In September, he came across the Defenders' story about Lawrence and was shocked to see others with similar issues.
“I contacted [the] KVUE Defenders because I saw the first exposé, and the information that was given in the first exposé of the experiences, of those individuals was exactly what I was going through," Jones said.
Not long after, he filed a complaint with the State Bar of Texas.
In September, the Defenders spoke with former clients of Dorothy Lawrence, who owns the Dorothy Butler Law Firm in Dripping Springs. Their complaints involved Nichole Humes, a former employee accused of practicing law without a license. Humes was charged with a third-degree felony.
Last month, the Defenders saw Humes leaving a Hays County courtroom after a pre-trial hearing for that criminal case.
In the meantime, the State Bar of Texas issued a two-year probated suspension to Lawrence last month. An investigatory panel found Lawrence assisted a non-lawyer in practicing law and engaged in conduct that involved dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.
"The homeowners that were in Hays County were having a situation, and it was verbatim exactly what I was going through. Not returning my calls, not being available, not doing all of this stuff," Jones said.
Lawrence could face even more disciplinary action as more former clients continue to come forward.
Leah Casey filed a State Bar complaint against Lawrence last year, accusing the attorney of overcharging her and billing her for work that was never done.
Casey said she is out more than $66,000 and wants her money back.
KVUE asked Casey, "Did the Dorothy Butler law firm adequately represent you?"
"No. Absolutely not. Not only did they not adequately represent me, they did a disservice," Casey said. "They didn't know what they were doing. They didn't have the specialization that they promised that they did. They put a personal injury attorney on a family law case, which wasn't appropriate at all and, in effect, offended the judge in a way that was very damaging to me."
Like Casey and Jones, Linda Leyva said she had a bad experience with the Dorothy Butler Law Firm.
"I became upset with the way she was acting with me," Leyva said.
Leyva said Nichole Humes was unprofessional during a consultation call.
“She just made it look like she didn't care what I was going through. Like, she didn't want to hear what I was going through," Leyva said.
Leyva also said Lawrence misled her about Humes being a licensed attorney.
"She kind of also said that Miss Humes was an attorney," Leyva said.
Leyva ended up filing a State Bar complaint against Lawrence last month after she said both Humes and Lawrence were rude and unhelpful.
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Now, Leyva, Casey and Jones are waiting to see whether the State Bar will take further action.
The Defenders have reached out to the State Bar, but it said it won’t comment on lawyer disciplinary issues.
But after what they’ve been through, Leyva, Casey and Jones believe Lawrence should lose her license to practice law.
"I am not able to purchase a house because I need my 2022 tax filings. And because they were not filed, that has now been a hindrance on me trying to get a veteran's home loan," Jones said.
"I would have been in [a] much, much better place had I never even called them," Casey said.
KVUE has reached out to Lawrence on several occasions for a comment. We have yet to receive a response.
KVUE has also reached out to Humes and her attorney for comment. Neither had a comment.
According to the State Bar, the number of grievances filed against attorneys has gone up over the last few years:
- 2018 to 2019 - 8,015
- 2019 to 2020 - 7,505
- 2020 to 2021 - 7,007
- 2021 to 2022 - 7,175
- 2022 to 2023 - 8,472
Click here for a deeper breakdown of State Bar of Texas grievances.