On Wednesday, August 5, 2026, The Daily Record reported that Erie County attorney Jason A. Shear has been suspended from practicing law for two years due to professional misconduct. Shear, who was admitted to practice in February 2007, was found to have violated several provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct.

The suspension stems from a petition filed in August 2025 by the Grievance Committee of the Eighth Judicial District. The allegations against Shear included failing to communicate with a client, engaging in sexual relations with a client, and making false statements to the Grievance Committee. Shear denied the allegations, leading to a hearing appointed by the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court, Fourth Department.

A referee's report sustained the charges of misconduct, finding that Shear had given false testimony and made ad hominem attacks against the client and the attorney for the Grievance Committee. The referee determined that in the summer of 2023, Shear accepted a $200 fee to represent a client in a foreclosure case. By the fall of 2023, Shear's relationship with the client had become more personal, evidenced by thousands of text messages and security camera footage showing Shear at the client's home. The referee concluded that Shear engaged in sexual relations with the client on several occasions in October 2023.

The client reportedly expressed shock upon learning Shear was married and became concerned that the outcome of her...

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