ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — Former clients of a disbarred Albany attorney are speaking out, alleging a pattern of financial abandonment, abrupt silence in communication and legal limbo following her recent arrest on multiple felony fraud charges. Je’Nita Nakia Lane, 46, was arrested on Tuesday, July 21, by the Albany Police Department (APD) and Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO). She faces felony charges of theft by deception, forgery, identity theft and computer theft. Documents from the Georgia Supreme Court show Lane surrendered her law license in late 2025 after admitting to mismanaging nearly $199,000 in client settlement funds. The Dougherty County Jail confirmed that Lane is no longer in custody as of Monday, July 28. For former clients Nicholas Royal and Shalisha Zinnamon, the arrest brings back painful memories of betrayal. Royal said he hired Lane in April 2025 to represent him in a custody dispute over his son, paying her thousands of dollars. While she performed well during a May trial, Royal said communication diminished immediately afterward. In December 2025, just weeks before a critical appeal hearing scheduled for January 2026, he reportedly received a text message from Lane stating she could no longer represent him because she had surrendered her license. The text message from Lane, dated Dec. 17, 2025, reads: “I’m no longer practicing law. I sent you an email a couple of days ago.” In an interview with WALB, Royal described his reaction to the news. “I was…
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