Cumberland County attorney has license revoked

Published 12:02 am Tuesday, April 25, 2023

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Elizabeth Kathryn Brown’s license to practice law in Virginia has been revoked. The attorney, who has offices in Cumberland County, saw the order come from the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board on Friday, April 21 and retroactively go into effect as of Tuesday, April 18.

“Effective April 18, 2023, the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board revoked Elizabeth Kathryn Brown’s license to practice law based on her affidavit consenting to the revocation,” the order states. “By tendering her consent to revocation at a time when a disciplinary complaint, Investigation, or Proceeding is pending, Brown acknowledges that the material facts upon which the disciplinary complaint, Investigation, or Proceeding are predicated are true.”

The investigation the board’s order refers to happened on July 4, 2022. On that date, Brown was charged with three counts of assault and battery of a law enforcement officer, along with arson of an unoccupied building and attempted first-degree murder. Brown pled guilty to all of the charges during a hearing on Dec. 2, 2022. 

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On Thursday, April 6, she took part in a hearing where she was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the attempted murder charge. However, the judge ordered that six of those 10 years be suspended. On the three counts of assault and battery of a law enforcement officer, she received five years in prison for each of the counts, with four years and six months suspended on every one. Finally, on the charge of arson of an unoccupied building, she received a five year sentence, all suspended. 

Because of the ongoing court case, Brown’s license to practice law in Virginia had been suspended last month. The Cumberland County attorney had also been ordered to come before the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board on April 28, to explain why her license shouldn’t be revoked. That hearing will not take place now, as she gave an affidavit agreeing to the revocation taking place.