A Brunswick attorney has been suspended from practicing law in Maine.

Court documents accuse James Whittemore of misusing and converting more than $250,000 in trust funds from two unrelated clients. Superior Court Justice Nancy Mills ordered the immediate interim suspension this week. Whittemore will have the chance to respond at a future hearing.

“Under the facts presented by the Board, this Court concludes that Attorney Whittemore’s misconduct serves as an imminent threat to clients, the public and to the administration of justice,” Mills wrote in her Aug. 7 order.

The Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar submitted the petition for Whittemore’s suspension in July. An affidavit attached to the petition outlines two separate complaints against Whittemore. In both cases, the clients allege the attorney never delivered money owed to them from his client trust account. In one complaint, the missing amount is more than $150,000. In the second, it is $100,000.

“The board has not been made aware of any criminal charges at this time,” said Jacqueline Rogers, executive director of the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar.

Mills’ order requires Whittemore to shut down his law practice, which the court has placed in receivership.

Whittemore’s website, which was working as of Thursday evening, says he received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. He attended Boston University Law School and received his law degree from the Maine School of Law. He opened his private practice in Brunswick in 2006. His website lists a wide range of services, including personal injury cases, civil litigation, real estate law and family disputes.

The message on Whittemore’s answering machine states he is out of the office for “an indeterminate period,” and his practice is being managed by another attorney.

Megan Doyle can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

mdoyle@pressherald.com

Twitter: megan_e_doyle