Maine Supreme Judicial Court Suspends Attorney George Royle V’s Law License Following Conviction for Child Pornography

On Thursday, May 23, 2024, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court issued an order immediately suspending the law license of attorney George Royle V. The order came in response to a petition from the Board of Overseers of the Bar.

The case is entitled “Board of Overseers of the Bar v. George Royle V,” with case no. BAR-24-4.

In January 2020, Royle was convicted after a jury trial in federal court of possession and accessing child pornography. Under Maine Bar Rule 23, attorneys convicted of crimes must submit proof of conviction to the board within 30 days. However, Royle did not notify the board until January 2024, almost four years after his conviction.

The order outlines that Royle’s conviction constitutes a “serious crime” as defined by Bar Rule 23. That rule allows for immediate interim suspension of any attorney found guilty of a serious crime, regardless of any appeal. Royle’s conviction qualified as equivalent to a felony and involved the victimization of children.

Royle has been under a registration suspension since October 2018. He remains subject to the disciplinary authority of the Maine Supreme Court as an attorney admitted to the Maine Bar in 2008. His conviction was affirmed by the First Circuit Court of Appeals in November 2023.

In granting the board’s petition, the single justice overseeing the case ruled that extraordinary circumstances did not exist that would warrant an exception to the interim suspension as allowed by Bar Rule 23. With Royle’s registration already suspended since 2018, the court did not appoint a receiver during the interim suspension period.

The Disposition states:

“WHEREFORE, Plaintiffs Petition for Immediate Interim Suspension, made pursuant to Maine Bar*ule 23, is hereby GRANTED. Defendant George Royle V is hereby immediately suspended from the practice of law, until such further time as this Court may order.”

According to avvo.com, Mr. Royle is a bankruptcy and debt attorney in Portland, Maine. He attended the New York University School of Law, graduating in 2001. He acquired his law license in Maine in 2008.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.