Steven Lance Mazza is an active member of the California Bar and was admitted 1st December 1981. Steven graduated from Southwestern University SOL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Steven Lance Mazza |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 1 December 1981 (42 years, 4 months ago) |
| Status | Active |
| Bar Number | 101076 |
Contact
| Current Email | [email protected] |
|---|---|
| Previous Email | [email protected] |
| Previous Email | [email protected] |
| Phone Number | 310-273-1230 |
| Fax Number | 310-858-1063 |
Schools
| Law School | Southwestern University SOL (Los Angeles CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | University of South Florida (Tampa FL) |
Address
| Current Address | Steven L Mazza, 8827 W Olympic Blvd Beverly Hills, CA 90211-3613 |
|---|---|
| Map |
History
| 20 February 2012 | Active (12 years, 2 months ago) |
|---|---|
| 11 March 2011 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years, 1 month ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 05-O-00068 |
| 20 November 2010 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years, 5 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 98-O-01674 |
| 30 September 2005 | Active (18 years, 6 months ago) |
| 16 September 2005 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (18 years, 7 months ago) Suspended, failed to pay fees |
| 10 July 2004 | Discipline, probation; no actual susp. 97-O-12635 (19 years, 9 months ago) |
| 10 August 2000 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 97-O-12635 (23 years, 8 months ago) |
| 1 December 1981 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (42 years, 4 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
March 11, 2011 STEVEN LANCE MAZZA [#101076], 54, of Beverly Hills was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on three years of probation with an actual 90-day suspension and he was ordered to take the MPRE within one year and comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. The order took effect March 11, 2011. Mazza stipulated to 17 counts of misconduct in six matters, including misappropriating funds from clients who were forced to pay their medical bills. Some had gone to collection and the clients had to pay interest as well.He did not comply with probation conditions attached to a 2004 discipline imposed for charging an unconscionable fee and failing to account for client funds, and he practiced law while suspended for non-payment of bar dues in 2005.In a personal injury case, he did not pay one of his client’s doctors for four years, didn’t pay another at all and didn’t pay the hospital for five years. He also failed to disburse more than $10,000 in settlement funds to his client for six years, and stipulated that he misappropriated that amount, committing an act of moral turpitude.His misconduct was similar in another personal injury case when he did not pay his client’s doctor and did not disburse $10,000 in settlement funds to the client for more than four years. He stipulated that he misappropriated that amount, committing an act of moral turpitude.In addition, Mazza admitted he failed to respond promptly to his clients’ status inquiries, perform legal services competently, update his contact information with the bar or cooperate with its investigation.In addition to the 2004 discipline, Mazza was suspended and placed on probation last year after he successfully completed the Alternative Discipline Program and stipulated to 63 counts of misconduct in 18 consolidated matters. In mitigation, he experienced significant personal and family problems that caused extreme emotional and mental problems and severely affected his legal practice. He addressed his problems through the ADP. He also made restitution to his clients and their doctors.November 20, 2010 STEVEN LANCE MAZZA [#101076], 54, of Beverly Hills was suspended for three years, stayed, placed on three years of probation and was ordered to comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. The order took effect Nov. 20, 2010. Mazza successfully completed the Alternative Discipline Program after establishing a nexus between his mental health problems and his misconduct. He was arrested twice in 1997 and charged with 40 felonies related to money laundering and filing a false income tax return. In 1999, all charges were dismissed but Mazza’s files, bank records and documents were in disarray and it took close to a year to sort out his records. Not everything was returned to him. In addition, he was going through a divorce and his son was killed in an automobile accident. As his life spun out of control, he was unable to handle his situation and numerous clients complained about him.The bar consolidated 18 matters into one and Mazza stipulated to 63 counts of misconduct. They included improper solicitation, commingling funds, moral turpitude, including the misappropriation of client funds in 15 matters, and failures to avoid interests adverse to a client, perform legal services competently, keep clients informed of developments in their cases, obey court orders, maintain client funds in trust, account for or pay out client funds, return client files, report sanctions to the bar or cooperate with the bar’s investigation.Mazza was disciplined in 2004 for collecting an unreasonable fee and failing to maintain proper records of client funds.In mitigation, he cooperated with the bar’s investigation and had extreme difficulties in his personal life.July 10, 2004 STEVEN LANCE MAZZA [#101076], 47, of Los Angeles was suspended for one year, stayed, placed on three years of probation and was ordered to make restitution and take the MPRE within one year. The order took effect July 10, 2004. The State Bar Court’s review department upheld a hearing judge’s recommended discipline, as well as two findings of misconduct, and dismissed one count. Mazza had sought review, arguing that the entire case against him be dismissed, but at the very least that the recommended discipline be reduced to a private reproval.Mazza was arrested twice in 1997 and charged with 40 felonies, including capping and money laundering. His files were seized. Although all charges were dismissed, most of his files and ledgers were not returned for more than two years, and some were not returned for more than three years. As a result, the disbursement of settlement funds to clients was delayed.The review department found that in a personal injury case, Mazza did not provide an accounting to his client. After reconstructing his files, he found a check he had written earlier attached to the front of the file, but he did not give the money to the client for six months.In a second matter, he charged his client, who was a homeless drug abuser, a 70 percent contingency fee in his slip-and-fall case. Mazza won a $70,000 settlement, but gave his client only $6,000. Saying the amount given to the client was “grossly unfair and shocks the conscience,†the court found that he charged an unconscionable fee.The seizure of Mazza’s files was given substantial mitigating weight. In addition, Mazza’s 9-year-old son was killed in an automobile accident. |