On Friday, July 21, 2023, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania denied attorney Nicholas Ermolovich’s petition to dissolve the order of his temporary suspension. Attorney Ermolovich was suspended for his failure to protect clients’ funds.
The case is entitled “Office of the Disciplinary Counsel v. Nicholas Ermolovich,” with case no. 63 DB 2023.
The Disciplinary Board presented evidence suggesting that Ermolovich had failed in his duty to protect clients’ funds, which were supposed to be securely held in a trust account. Moreover, it was alleged that he diverted some of these funds for his personal use, covering business expenses and making unauthorized payments to himself, totaling a significant amount of at least $6,000. Furthermore, Ermolovich faced additional issues as he failed to comply with subpoenas related to complaints concerning his handling of estate clients. Consequently, his solo practice has been profoundly affected by the suspension, preventing him from practicing law until further actions are taken by the court to address the matter.
These allegations and their consequences have raised grave concerns about Ermolovich’s adherence to the ethical standards expected of legal practitioners. The safeguarding of clients’ funds in trust accounts is a fundamental responsibility for attorneys, and any misuse or unauthorized access to these funds is considered a serious breach of trust and professional ethics. Additionally, the failure to comply with subpoenas related to client complaints raised questions about his transparency and cooperation with the disciplinary process.
On June 2, 2023, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ordered the temporary suspension of attorney Ermolovich pursuant to the recommendation of the Disciplinary Board. Expressing discontent with the outcome, Ermolovich took action by filing a formal petition seeking the dissolution of the previously imposed temporary suspension order. However, the course of events took a disappointing turn as, on July 21, 2023, the esteemed Supreme Court of Pennsylvania chose to reject Ermolovich’s plea, thereby maintaining the temporary suspension order in place.
The order states:
“AND NOW, this 21st day of July 2023, upon consideration of the Recommendation of the Disciplinary Board Member dated June 30, 2023, Respondent’s Petition to Dissolve Order of Temporary Suspension is denied without prejudice.
Ermolovich graduated from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law in 1994. He maintained his solo practice in Ephrata. He has been admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, with license no. 73573. His info can be found on Linkedin.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
