Jim Wooten, the judge who presided over traffic court in the troubled town of Brookside, has been suspended from practicing law in Alabama.The Alabama Supreme Court ordered a 91-day suspension of Wooten’s law license, effective December 21, 2022, according to records obtained by AL.com this week.
And Mike Bryan, the mayor of Brookside, told AL.com that Wooten is no longer the town’s judge. Wooten resigned last month, a week before his suspension took effect.He does not work for the town of Brookside,” Bryan said.
The Alabama State Bar investigated Wooten because of allegations he “improperly advanced himself fees” from a family member’s inheritance when she was a child. The bar’s disciplinary commission found that he violated the rules of professional conduct for lawyers, the records show.
Wooten, a Birmingham attorney, became the administrator of his late brother’s estate in 2006 when his niece was seven years old. In 2020, Wooten’s niece filed a lawsuit alleging that her Uncle Jim distributed more than $200,000 of her inheritance to his personal and business accounts.
“Wooten admitted that while the estate remained open, he improperly advanced himself fees from the estate without seeking permission from the probate court,” according to records from the state bar’s disciplinary commission. “Despite the fact the fees had not been earned, Wooten failed to place the funds in trust. Wooten also did not disclose to the family that he had taken the fees.”
Wooten previously denied any wrongdoing and told AL.com last year that he was paid an average of $16,200 annually. “By law, I was entitled to be paid from the estate for my services,” he said in a statement to AL.com at the time.Wooten did not respond to requests for comment from AL.com for this article.
Roman Shaul, general counsel for the Alabama State Bar, told AL.com that because Wooten’s suspension is more than 90 days, the bar’s disciplinary board will get to decide whether to reinstate his license. Shaul said for suspensions of 90 days or fewer, the lawyer’s license is automatically reinstated