COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A Colorado Springs attorney who was suspended in 2011 for spending client money that did not belong to him has now been ordered disbarred following another disciplinary case involving client funds.
A disciplinary judge approved an agreement to disbar William Thomas Griffin on Sept. 28. His disbarment takes effect Nov. 2.
The disciplinary summary describes misconduct involving a client’s $50,000 settlement and a separate client who paid $6,000 for a driver’s-license appeal that was later dismissed.
In March 2023, a client had already received a $45,000 offer to settle a civil case the client had handled without an attorney.
The client hired Griffin to negotiate a higher amount, agreeing to pay him half of any increase above the existing offer, according to the disciplinary summary. Griffin did not provide a fee agreement or any written explanation of the basis for his fee.
Griffin negotiated a $50,000 settlement in May 2023. Under the arrangement described in the record, his share of the $5,000 increase would have been $2,500.
Instead, the summary says Griffin deposited the settlement check into his trust account intending to keep $25,000 - half the entire settlement.
He initially disbursed only $21,500 to the client.
In June 2023, Griffin paid the client another $15,000 from his trust account. That payment included money belonging to other clients or third parties, according to the disciplinary summary.
The disciplinary case also describes a client who hired Griffin in August 2025 to appeal an order suspending the client’s driver’s license.
The client paid $6,000, although the written agreement called for a $5,000 flat fee.
According to the summary, the agreement did not identify any point short of completing the representation at which Griffin would earn the fee. Griffin nevertheless deposited none of the money into his trust account.
In December 2025, Griffin told the client the case was "in a waiting status" and "out of our hands at this point."
The following month, the appeal was dismissed with prejudice for failure to prosecute. Griffin never refunded any of the $6,000, according to the disciplinary summary.
A separate lawsuit filed June 2 by a client against Griffin and The Griffin Law Firm describes an appeal with matching payment amounts, timing and circumstances.
The client alleges he hired Griffin to challenge the DMV’s revocation of his driving privileges after he was acquitted of a DUI charge in a separate criminal proceeding.
According to the complaint, Griffin filed a complaint for judicial review in El Paso County District Court on Aug. 28, 2025, and then took no further substantive action.
The lawsuit alleges Griffin failed to respond to a Nov. 17 order directing him to explain why the appeal should not be dismissed. After the response deadline passed, Griffin allegedly told the client the matter was in a "holding pattern" awaiting a judge’s ruling.
According to the complaint, the appeal was dismissed with prejudice on Jan. 5, 2026. Apotheker alleges Griffin never informed him of the dismissal and retained the entire $6,000.
The lawsuit asserts claims of legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, civil theft and conversion. Those are civil claims, not criminal charges.
He seeks damages that include the money he paid, transportation costs and employment-related consequences, along with other relief.
The client's attorney, Andrew Swan, confirmed his client is one of the clients referenced in Griffin’s disciplinary case but declined further comment, citing the pending litigation.
Griffin’s disciplinary history dates back at least to 2011.
That year, a disciplinary judge approved a conditional admission of misconduct and suspended him for three years, effective Sept. 10, 2011.
The earlier disciplinary summary states Griffin repeatedly spent client funds that did not belong to him, misrepresented that refunds were underway, and moved money among his trust, personal, and business accounts to cover checks that could not clear.
The current disciplinary case identifies violations involving diligence, communication, fee agreements, safeguarding client property, returning client property, and conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.
KRDO13 Investigates visited an address listed for Griffin’s firm on South Cascade Avenue and was told he had moved out last year. At a North Sierra Madre address, KRDO13 Investigates was told he was no longer there either.
An initial phone call reached an automated Verizon Wireless message saying the call could not be completed. KRDO13 Investigates later obtained another number and exchanged text messages with Griffin.
Griffin declined an on-camera interview.
In his texts, he disputed the completeness of the disciplinary account of a settlement arrangement, saying it included payment toward unpaid legal fees from a client serving a life sentence in prison. He also said he signed the disciplinary stipulation because he believed the alternative was immediate suspension and he had ongoing client obligations and financial needs.
Regarding his 2011 suspension, Griffin wrote: "I was violating rules without really caring."
KRDO13 Investigates also contacted the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel with questions about Griffin’s disciplinary history, his return to practice and whether the conduct had been referred for criminal investigation. The office had not responded as of publication.
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The post KRDO13 Investigates: Colorado Springs attorney disbarred for taking client money appeared first on KRDO.
