Lawyer disciplined by NC State Bar for sending photo of his genitals to opposition
A Huntersville lawyer was disciplined by the N.C. State Bar in July for pursuing a sexual relationship with and sending at least one photo of his genitals to a woman who was the opposing party in a custody case, court records show.
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The State Bar suspended Christopher Adkins’ law license for two years but allowed him to continue practicing if he seeks psychological counseling and ongoing alcohol treatment and behaves, according to the State Bar ruling. He agreed to have another person in the room when he meets with a woman client.
Since the incident, Adkins told The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday, he has completed alcohol treatment programs in Cornelius and Savannah, Georgia, and been sober for 407 days.
“I made a mistake, and I’m trying to be open about it,” he said.
“I was drinking too much, and I had to go to rehab, and I did,” he said. “It’s been life-changing to be sober and to be fully present for my family again.”
Adkins is notable for representing former town of Mooresville employees who said they were fired for raising concerns about a town hall video they said show Mayor Chris Carney pantless with a woman on a late night in October 2024. The cases are ongoing, federal court records show.
According to the State Bar ruling, Adkins and the woman in the custody case exchanged “multiple messages through Facebook Messenger” while Adkins traveled in Hawaii in April 2024.
The messaging began after Adkins “consumed alcohol to excess and returned to his hotel room intoxicated,” the ruling states.
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He replied to a message from the woman and asked how they knew each other.
The woman replied that Adkins would be in court in nine days representing the man in the custody case against her.
Adkins then told the woman that they “shouldn’t be friends on here,” according to the State Bar ruling.
They continued communicating, however, and Adkins told her he liked her pictures on social media, court records show. He asked if “she wanted more children, stated that he wanted more children, and asked whether she was single,” according to the State Bar.
He also commented on her “physical attractiveness and made sexually explicit propositions,” State Bar records state.
When Adkins pursued the relationship, “it was reasonably foreseeable that his actions would create a conflict of interest,” according to the ruling. His “conduct demonstrates that he placed his personal interests and desires above the legal interests of his client,” the State Bar said.
Adkins has since “committed to sobriety” and participated in substance abuse and mental health treatment programs, the three-member State Bar panel found.
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“I’m fine,” Adkins told the Observer. “I’m in a good place now.”
