On Tuesday, January 9, 2024, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued an order immediately suspending Atlanta-based immigration attorney Ryan Curtis Cleveland from practicing law before immigration courts and the Department of Homeland Security. The suspension stems from Cleveland’s October 2023 disbarment by the Supreme Court of Georgia.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Ryan Curtis Cleveland.”
As detailed in the Board’s order, on December 11, 2023, the disciplinary counsels for the Executive Office for Immigration Review and DHS jointly petitioned for Cleveland’s immediate suspension from immigration practice, citing his disbarment in Georgia one month prior. The single-page order grants the petition and suspends Cleveland pending the outcome of further disciplinary proceedings at the federal level.
According to the order, the Supreme Court of Georgia disbarred Cleveland on October 11, 2023, for violating numerous attorney conduct rules. As reported in a November 2023 article from AlabNews.com, the state disbarment concluded two disciplinary matters involving Cleveland abandoning eight total clients.
In one matter, Cleveland was paid $2,600 to represent a client in a divorce but took no action on the case. He did not complete any work, return client calls, or refund unearned fees. In seven other matters, Cleveland was appointed to represent indigent criminal defendants but failed to communicate with or assist the incarcerated clients, missing court filings.
The state disbarment order noted Cleveland had received prior discipline including a 2022 letter of admonition and a January 2023 suspension for failing to cooperate with the investigations into his client abandonment. Given his experience, prior issues, and lack of mitigating factors, the justices ruled disbarment was warranted.
Under the terms of the federal suspension, Cleveland must notify any clients with open immigration cases and provide proof of compliance. He is prohibited from practicing before immigration courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and DHS immigration agencies until the conclusion of the ongoing disciplinary process.
According to avvo.com, Mr. Cleveland is a criminal defense attorney in Bainbridge, Georgia. He obtained his law degree from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law in 2005. He then gained admission to the Georgia Bar and was licensed to practice law in the state later that same year.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
