On Monday, November 24, 2025, the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board suspended attorney George William Bruch’s license to practice law for nine months with specific terms, following an agreed disposition reached between Bruch, his counsel, and the Virginia State Bar. The decision was made during a telephonic hearing on November 18, 2025, where the Board accepted the agreed disposition as per the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of George William Bruch,” with case number 2024-07678.
The disciplinary action stems from Bruch’s conduct in July 2023, when he represented a client identified as T.B., who was under investigation for a shooting incident on Interstate 264 in Virginia Beach. According to the stipulations of fact presented to the Board, T.B. contacted Bruch seeking legal representation after being approached by Virginia State Police.
Text messages between Bruch and T.B. revealed that Bruch advised his client to remove his motorcycle helmet and vest, worn during the alleged crime, from his home. He also suggested concealing clothing worn by T.B.’s wife and relocating his motorcycle to another location. The Virginia State Bar argued that this advice constituted an attempt to conceal evidence and obstruct the investigation.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office obtained a search warrant for T.B.’s home in August 2023, during which multiple helmets were found, but the specific helmet seen in the video of the shooting was not recovered. Subsequently, T.B. was charged with multiple felonies, including malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
In January 2024, Bruch informed the Commonwealth that his client would stipulate to being the driver of the motorcycle and the shooter for trial purposes. However, the Commonwealth filed a motion asserting that the text messages between Bruch and T.B. were not protected by attorney-client privilege and should be admissible as evidence.
In April 2024, Judge Afshin Farashahi removed Bruch and his firm as counsel for T.B., citing a conflict of interest. Judge Farashahi consulted with the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, the Bar Ethics Counsel, and the Office of Legal Research for the Supreme Court of Virginia before making his decision. Ultimately, Judge Farashahi ruled that the text messages were protected and inadmissible at trial because T.B. did not seek advice on how to commit a crime, but was given illegal advice by Bruch.
The Disciplinary Board found that Bruch’s actions violated multiple Rules of Professional Conduct, including counseling a client to engage in criminal or fraudulent conduct, creating a conflict of interest, obstructing access to evidence, and committing an act that reflects adversely on his honesty and trustworthiness.
As part of the agreed disposition, Bruch must complete twelve hours of continuing legal education credits in ethics-related courses approved by the Virginia State Bar before the end of his nine-month suspension. Failure to meet these terms will result in an alternative sanction of a one-year and one-day suspension. Bruch is also required to notify his clients, opposing attorneys, and presiding judges of his suspension and make arrangements for the disposition of his cases.
According to Avvo, Mr. Bruch is a criminal defense lawyer in Suffolk, VA. He acquired his law license in Virginia in 2008.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
