New Bern attorney suspended for two years, stayed

Attorney: Victoria Lynn Block

Location: New Bern

Bar membership: Member since 2003

Disciplinary action: Suspended from the practice of law for two years on Jan. 19. The suspension is stayed for two years so long as Block complies with certain conditions.

Background: A random audit of Block’s trust account in 2015 showed deficiencies in her management of the account, including failure to conduct quarterly reconciliations, failure to identify clients on wire and electronic transfers for the trust account, bank charges for the trust account paid with trust funds and then reimbursed by office funds, failure to maintain a ledger of attorney funds to service the trust, failure to maintain records of monthly reconciliations for the account, failure to maintain wire and electronic transfer confirmations for the account, and failure to maintain funds in the trust account to cover credit card processing. Block had been the subject of a random audit in 2008, and that audit had showed similar deficiencies in management of entrusted funds.

Previous discipline: Block was reprimanded in August 2014 for taking on a case that she did not have adequate experience to handle, failing to consult with a more experienced attorney, and failing to adequately communicate with the client.

All information contained in the Bar Discipline Roundup is compiled and edited by Lawyers Weekly editor-in-chief David Donovan. He can be reached at [email protected].