After 15 years of prosecuting bar complaints for the Virginia State Bar, Paul Georgiadis returned to the private practice of law in 2016 to resume defending the livelihoods and reputations of lawyers by defending bar complaints, advocating for their return to the practice of law in reinstatements, and by providing proactive and realistic advice in legal advertising and ethics issues.

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He also serves as an expert witness on legal ethics in matters including disqualification in both federal and state courts. He recently appeared and testified as an expert witness in Harleysville Insurance Company v. Holding Funeral Home, Inc. et.al, No. 1:15 CV 00057, (W.D. Va.,10/02/17)

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In his first fifteen years of practice Georgiadis defended the interests of lawyers as a malpractice litigator and claims attorney. He defended attorneys in circuit courts of the Commonwealth as well as the Supreme Court of Virginia. He was selected by the State Bars of Virginia, Arizona, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Tennessee to serve as Risk Manager providing individual ethics and risk management consultations to attorneys, providing hundreds of voluntary and disciplinary law office audits, and wrote and chaired malpractice prevention CLEs throughout the five states.  

         

As a bar prosecutor for 15 years, Georgiadis handled thousands of bar complaints and tried hundreds of them to routinely successful conclusions before district committees, the Disciplinary Board, and Circuit Courts of the Commonwealth. He also handled reinstatement petitions and impairment cases. He chaired the bar’s annual disciplinary conference to train the bar’s volunteer adjudicators.

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From his tenure at the bar, Georgiadis knows the value of early, nuanced, and robust investigation and advocacy in the face of a bar complaint before it can mushroom into lengthy formal proceedings.

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Georgiadis enjoys a long and strategic alliance with PALMS, a California-based group of attorney, insurance and technology professionals with decades-long ties to state bars including the State Bar of New Mexico and the Hawaii State Bar Association. With PALMS, Georgiadis consults for the Ethics and Risk Management Hotline for the State Bar of New Mexico with hundreds of New Mexico attorneys each year regarding legal ethics and law office management issues. This also includes law office audits both proactive and as imposed as terms of discipline. 

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Georgiadis lectures on professional responsibility and legal ethics, appearing in Continuing Legal Education programs throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

He is an active member of the Lewis F. Powell, Jr., American Inn of Court, a former president of the Henrico County Bar Association, and a current member of the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers. 

  

Married and a father of three, Georgiadis is the Novice Men’s Coach for the VCU Crew Team and a founding member of the Virginia Boat Club.

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PROFILE

Experience

Paul D. Georgiadis, PLC 
Virginia State Bar, Assistant Bar Counsel 2000-2015 
Paul D. Georgiadis, P.C., 1996-2000
Thompson, Smithers, Newman & Wade, Litigation Partner 1990-1996
Virginia Insurance Reciprocal, Claims Attorney, Lawyers Professional Liability Department 1986-1989
Virginia State Bar, Law Clerk to Bar Counsel Michael L. Rigsby, 1985-1986  

  
Admissions

Supreme Court of Virginia, 1986. 
U.S. District Court, E.D. of Virginia, 1990. 
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1990. 
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, 1995. 
U.S. Supreme Court, 2007.

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Cases of Note

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Gregory v. Hawkins, 251 Va. 471, 468 S.E.2d 891 (Va., 1996)

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In the Matter of David H.N. Bean, No. 02-070-1395, Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board (December 24, 2004 and December 27, 2004)

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In the Matter of Atchuthan Sriskandarajah, Case No. CL 2012-4137, VSB DOCKET NO. 10-022-081527, Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board (07-18-2012)

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Harleysville Insurance Company v. Holding Funeral Home, Inc. et.al, No. 1:15 CV 00057, (W.D. Va.,10/02/17)       

Education

T.C. Williams School of Law, University of Richmond, J.D., 1986 
Georgetown University, A.B. Classics, 1982
The Lawrenceville School, 1977  

Associations

Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, Member, 2017-present.
Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Inn of Court, President, 2009-2011; Executive Committee, 2007-2013. Member, 2002-present. 
John Marshall Inn of Court, Member, 1995-2002. 
Henrico County Bar Association, President 1998-1999, Executive Board, 1997-1999. 
City of Richmond Bar Association, Member. 1990-2017. 
American Bar Association, Torts and Insurance Practice Section, Professionals, Officers and Directors Liability Committee, Vice-Chair 1999-2000. 

Community Volunteer

Virginia Commonwealth University Crew Team, Novice Men’s Coach, 2012-present.
Virginia Boat Club, President 2003-2005; Board member, 2001-2007. 
Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Sunday School teacher, 2002-2004.