The Missouri Supreme Court recently ruled in two attorney discipline cases on March 18, disbarring one and suspending another.
St. Louis attorney Justin Lamar Jackson was disbarred in a March 18 order.
Mason previously was suspended in 2021 for failure to pay taxes. After being reinstated, the Missouri Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel said it found discrepancies in Mason’s client trust and operating accounts.
An audit showed Mason didn’t keep a general ledger and an accurate client ledger. It also showed he paid personal expenses from his client trust account.
The state Disciplinary Hearing Panel recommended a two-year suspension of Mason’s law license, but the Chief Disciplinary Counsel pushed for disbarment. That difference sent the case to the Supreme Court, which ruled for disbarment.
In another March 18 order, the Missouri Supreme Court suspended St. Louis County attorney Clarence T. Smallwood indefinitely.
Smallwood was an assistant prosecutor for many years before his license was placed on inactive status after he suffered a gran mal seizure and was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2013.
In 2023, he worked in the county prosecutor’s office despite his inactive status. Before that was discovered, Smallwood had handled about 100 cases, all of which had to be resubmitted. Several of the cases he worked on were dismissed.
The Disciplinary Hearing Panel recommended a stayed suspension with a six-month probation, but the Chief Disciplinary Counsel disagreed. The Supreme Court suspended Smallwood’s license indefinitely with no leave to apply for reinstatement for six months.
Missouri Supreme Court case numbers SC100685 (Mason) and SC 100781 (Smallwood)