On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, the Supreme Court of Georgia ordered the disbarment of attorney Brian Joel Aplin for abandoning his clients and failing to adequately represent their interests.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Brian Joel Aplin,” with case nos. S25Y0795 and S25Y0796.
The State Bar of Georgia filed Notices of Discipline against Aplin, seeking his disbarment. Aplin was already under suspension from practicing law due to his failure to respond to a notice of investigation connected to one of these cases, as per Case No. S25Y0228, issued on October 7, 2024.
Because Aplin failed to reject the Notices of Discipline promptly, he was declared in default, forfeiting his right to an evidentiary hearing. This default allowed the Supreme Court to proceed with disciplinary measures based on the existing record.
The first case, SDBD No. 7981, involved a client who had won a judgment in the Magistrate Court of Troup County. After the defendant appealed to the State Court in September 2022, the client hired Aplin to represent her in the appeal, paying him $1,500. However, Aplin failed to provide updates or respond to her inquiries. The client encountered Aplin at the courthouse around April 21, 2023, and inquired about her case. It was later discovered that Aplin did not file an entry of appearance until April 26, 2023.
The client requested a refund on May 2, 2023, which Aplin ignored. After officially firing Aplin on June 12, 2023, and again requesting a refund, the attorney remained unresponsive. Aplin finally filed a notice of withdrawal on August 30, 2023, and falsely claimed to have sent a partial refund of $500 to the client. He also failed to respond to the notice of investigation related to this matter.
The second case, SDBD No. 7982, originated on August 6, 2023, when a client retained Aplin for a child custody matter, paying a $2,500 retainer. Aplin filed an initial motion but subsequently abandoned the client. He failed to provide updates, respond to information requests, inform the client about served discovery requests, respond to said requests, or notify the client about a motion for sanctions resulting from his failure to respond to discovery.
The court granted the motion for sanctions, imposing approximately $8,000 in monetary penalties. The client only learned about the sanctions order through mail from the court or opposing counsel. On December 14, 2023, the client hired new counsel, terminated Aplin’s services, and requested a refund, which Aplin failed to provide.
The Supreme Court referenced the American Bar Association’s Standards for Imposing Lawyer Sanctions, noting aggravating factors such as Aplin’s dishonest or selfish motive, a pattern of misconduct, obstruction of disciplinary proceedings, refusal to acknowledge the wrongful nature of his conduct, and indifference to making restitution. The sole mitigating factor was the absence of prior disciplinary offenses.
The Court concluded that Aplin’s actions violated Rules 1.3, 1.4, 1.16(d), 8.4(a)(4), and 9.3 of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct. The disbarment was deemed consistent with previous cases involving attorney abandonment and failure to respond to the State Bar.
The Disposition states:
“Therefore, it is hereby ordered that the name of Brian Joel Aplin be removed from the rolls of persons authorized to practice law in the State of Georgia. Aplin is reminded of his duties pursuant to Bar Rule 4-219(b).”
According to Avvo.com, Mr. Aplin was a business attorney in Lagrange, Georgia. He acquired his law license in Georgia in 2017.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
