Longtime convention attorneys Jim Guenther and Jaime Jordan alerted SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Ronnie Floyd Oct. 11 that the law firm of Guenther, Jordan & Price has “no choice” but to “withdraw … from [its] role as general counsel to the Southern Baptist Convention and the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention.”

The letter was addressed to Floyd as well as EC trustees and Greg Addison, EC executive vice president.
“Jim Guenther and Jaime Jordan have admirably served the legal needs of the Southern Baptist Convention and the SBC Executive Committee since 1966,” Floyd said.

“With deep regrets, we accept their decision and fully understand their reasoning behind it and their need to withdraw. We are extremely grateful for their 56 years of superior service to the Southern Baptist Convention and the Executive Committee.”

The announcement came nearly a week after EC members voted to waive attorney-client privilege in the independent, third-party investigation into allegations of mishandling of sexual abuse claims. That decision, the letter stipulated, “fundamentally changed the understanding that has always existed regarding communications between our firm and the Executive Committee or the convention.”