Who appointed this guy?
You’d think that local government officials responsible for appointing county clerks would consider candidates with appropriate experience and reputations for integrity, not some ambulance chaser notorious for playing fast and loose with the law who’s currently being sued by a former client and accused of engaging in barratry.
The best they could come up with was Chris Hollins? Seriously? Believe it or not, that’s who the Harris County Commissioners Court came up with to replace outgoing County Clerk Diane Trautman.
“I'm thrilled that Chris Hollins decided to accept this appointment to become the county clerk for the remainder of the year,” said Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia when Collins’ appointment was announced in May. “He is incredibly qualified, and I am confident he will do an excellent job.”
Garcia may be “thrilled,” and he may honestly believe that Hollins is “incredibly qualified,” but others may demur. Take Derrick Ballard, for instance.
Ballard is the former client who has filed a barratry lawsuit against Hollins and his firm in Harris County District Court, claiming that a “known fraudster” from the Hollins Law Group unlawfully solicited him following an auto accident.
Ballard alleges that the Hollins Law Group subsequently referred his case to another law firm, without entering into a proper fee-sharing agreement.
“The lawyers nonetheless illegally and unethically split fess, without disclosing to Ballard that his case had been procured by barratry,” the suit states. “Because the lawyers breached their fiduciary duty to Ballard and obtained his case through barratry, Ballard is entitled to bring this case against them.”
The “known fraudster” referred to above is Gerald Puglisi, a senior analyst at Hollins Law previously involved in “an intricate scheme to defraud insurance companies through staged accidents and inflated and fraudulent medical billings.”
It may be months before the case is resolved. In the meantime, as our new County Clerk, the ”incredibly qualified” Chris Hollins is now in charge of the office that will administer the election in November. Are you “thrilled” by that prospect?