Bar pays $264K from Clients’ Protection Fund

At its most recent meeting, the Virginia State Bar Clients’ Protection Fund Board authorized $264,643 in reimbursements to clients of 12 Virginia attorneys. 

The payments were made regarding 17 petitions brought before the board. 

The largest single award from the meeting was a $100,000 payment to the heirs of a deceased former client of David Brooks Hundley, who was hired to represent a client in a personal injury matter but settled the case without the client’s knowledge or consent. The client did not receive any settlement proceedings prior to her death. Hundley’s law license was revoked in 2020. 

A payment of $40,000 and two $10,000 payments were made to former clients of Elliott Purcell Park, who the board found completed little to no work on the clients’ matters and failed to refund unearned fees. Park’s license to practice law was suspended in March 2025, further suspended in April 2025 and revoked in September 2025. 

Payments of $20,000 and $10,000 were made respectively to two former clients of Steven Scott Biss, who did not complete significant work for either client. In January 2024, Biss’ license was suspended on impairment grounds.  

Two former clients of David Gary Hoffman received payments of $19,941 and $7,500 for incomplete estate planning services. Hoffman’s law license was revoked in 2021. 

A client who hired Brian Michael O’Laughlin for a divorce matter received a $10,335 payment after O’Laughlin was found to have failed to timely file discovery responses. O’Laughlin also did not appear at a motion to compel hearing, leading to a sanction being ordered against the client. O’Laughlin’s law license was suspended in February 2025 for two years. 

One former client of Michael Alan Yoder received a $10,000 payment after the client’s workplace discrimination and wrongful termination matter was dismissed due to Yoder failing to timely respond to court orders. After two suspensions, Yoder’s law license was revoked in May 2025. 

A $3,500 payment was made to a former client of Brian Kraig Telfair for reimbursement of unearned fees. Telfair also acted as counsel for the client for a month after his law license was revoked in August 2025. 

A $12,388.31 payment was issued to a former client of Shalonda M. Tillman as a partial reimbursement, as Tillman completed only partial work on the client’s divorce matter before referring the case to another attorney following the suspension of her law license. Tillman’s law license was revoked in November 2025.  

Two clients who retained Kevin P. Dougherty were awarded $784.14 and $1,200, respectively, as reimbursement for unearned legal fees. Dougherty did not complete any work on a client’s divorce action and failed to appear at trial for another client’s traffic matter. Dougherty’s license was suspended three times, most recently in December 2025 for disciplinary rile violations. 

A $5,000 payment was issued to a former client of Christopher C. Booberg after the client never received proceeds from a settlement check sent to Booberg by an insurance carrier. Booberg’s law license was revoked in November 2025. 

Mackenzie G. Cope was found to have completed insufficient legal services in two matters a client brought to her, leading to a $3,008 payment from the board. Cope’s license was administratively suspended in February 2026 and April 2026.  

One petitioner received a reimbursement from the board due to their attorney’s death. James Cooper Bell did not fulfill representation of a client in an assault and battery case before his death in January 2023, leading to a $986.55 reimbursement for unearned fees. 

Created by the Supreme Court of Virginia in 1976, the Clients’ Protection Fund reimburses petitioners who suffer financial loss due to dishonest content by an attorney who has faced disciplinary action, or from an attorney who died without properly maintaining client funds. The fund is supported by a $5 annual fee paid by Virginia lawyers.