Former New Hanover County commissioner Julia Olson-Boseman has officially been disbarred after surrendering her law license and admitting she could not defend herself from a host of allegations.
According to a January 24 order from the North Carolina State Bar, Olson-Boseman committed a range of misconduct, including misappropriating entrusted funds, "grossly" abdicating her trust account management obligations, making misrepresentations to both the courts and the State Bar during a grievance investigation, engaging in contempt of court, engaging in conflict of interest, collecting "clearly excessive" fees, and neglecting a client.
Olson-Boseman did not contest the Bar’s findings that she had committed multiple violations of the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct. She acknowledged she could not successfully defend against the charges levied by the Bar.
Olson-Boseman was elected to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners in 2000. A rising political star in the Democratic party, Boseman beat Republican Woody White in a tough 2004 state senate race — becoming the first openly gay woman in the statehouse. She then won reelection in 2006 and 2008 — although she was increasingly mired in financial problems. She unsuccessfully ran for district judge in 2010, losing in the primaries, and the next year filed for bankruptcy.
After struggling with substance abuse for years, Olson-Boseman said she got clean; in 2016 she ran for county commissioner again, but lost in a race that was close enough to warrant a recount. In 2018, she won back a seat on the Board of Commissioners — and eventually served as chair.
Her political career unraveled again amid a slew of criminal and civil allegations, including but not limited to her misconduct as an attorney, personal issues, and a relapse into alcohol use. She lost in the 2022 Democratic primary and later changed her party affiliation to Republican — although neither party minced words about their distaste for her as an elected official.
The state is still looking into the criminal charges against her; although the SBI has not commented directly on the case, it is not uncommon for state law enforcement to wait for a professional oversight board — like the State Bar — to complete an investigation before moving forward on potential criminal charges. The SBI is not directly investigating Olson-Boseman currently, but financial crimes prosecutors from the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys are.
Olson-Boseman did not respond to a request for comment.
Note: This article has been updated to clarify the nature of the state investigation into Olson-Boseman.
Below: Order from the North Carolina State Bar
Olson-Boseman Julia Disbarment Order by Ben Schachtman on Scribd
