The New Jersey Supreme Court has issued a one-year suspension to a lawyer who abandoned his law practice and left clients in the lurch.

George Saponaro of Mount Holly came to the attention of disciplinary authorities after he failed to show up for a scheduled Superior Court appearance in his client’s criminal case and appeared to have abandoned his practice, the Disciplinary Review Board said. Later, two other clients of Saponaro claimed he took no action in their cases after they paid him $2,000 each.