If ever Texas was in need of legislators with the affinity for doing the right thing, it’s now. In an era of political gaffes, failed leadership, and ethical lapses, State Representative Ron Reynolds (D-Missouri City) is conspicuously listed as one of the most unprincipled elected officials in Texas.
Reynolds’ tenure in the Texas House of Representatives has been like no other. During his tenure, the four-term lawmaker and former personal-injury lawyer served a four month prison sentence in Montgomery County Jail after pleading guilty to misdemeanor barratry, and had his law license revoked by the Board of Disciplinary Appeals.
Months after being released from jail, Reynolds was stripped of his license to practice law in the State of Texas after a disbarment order was signed July 29, 2019. The State Bar of Texas’ Board of Disciplinary Appeals cited Reynolds as “having been found guilty and convicted of Intentional and Serious Crimes” in its order. According to his profile on the State Bar of Texas website, Reynolds’ disciplinary history shows that he received two previous sanctions, in 2005 and one in 2016.
Reynolds’ legal woes stem from a 2012 arrest in Harris County, when an undercover investigation showed that a chiropractic office was convincing their patients to sign with Reynolds as their legal counsel before having physical examinations or meeting with the attorney.
When the investigators were accused of improprieties in unrelated investigations, the charges were dropped against Reynolds in Harris County. But he was arrested again the next year when Montgomery County authorities raided his offices and the offices of other area attorneys. The lawyers were allegedly involved in a kickback scheme with a chiropractic clinic owner.
More disturbing is back in 2016, Reynolds was ordered to pay more than half a million dollars to a former client whose share of a settlement he kept without her knowledge.
Nancy Calloway was a mother whose only daughter died in a car accident. She sued, and won a settlement, but the court Reynolds failed to report the settlement to his client and kept the money secret for two years.
Nancy Calloway found out about the settlement through a third party. Her attorney claimed it wasn’t the first time Reynolds had kept a client’s money. There was a previous incident where Reynolds was caught, but he reached a private agreement to repay the money.
Despite all of this, he was re-elected to the House for a fifth term two months into his four month jail sentence. And since Texas state law does not require state legislators to resign over misdemeanor convictions, Reynolds was able to join his colleagues in Austin to be sworn in for the 86th legislative session in January 2019.
According to the Texas Ethics Commission website, Ron Reynolds has failed to file a campaign finance report for more than two years and racked up more than $52,000 in fines from the Texas Ethics Commission, which makes him the largest political deadbeat in Texas, the runner-up having only $33,500 in fines.
When Texans need leaders, who take the moral high road now, more than ever, Ron Reynolds has shown that he is nothing less than a charlatan with questionable tactics when it comes to practicing law.
