William Edgar Davis III was admitted to the California Bar 2nd December 1981, but has since been disbarred. William graduated from UC Hastings COL.

Lawyer Information

NameWilliam Edgar Davis III
First Admitted2 December 1981 (43 years, 6 months ago)
StatusDisbarred
Bar Number101641

Contact

Phone Number213-389-7397
Fax Number323-933-4099

Schools

Law SchoolUC Hastings COL (San Francisco CA)
Undergraduate SchoolUniversity of California Berkeley (Berkeley CA)

Address

Current Address1925 Century Park E #500
Los Angeles, CA 90067-2700
Map

History

12 January 2000Disbarred (25 years, 5 months ago)
Disbarment 97-O-16762
17 September 1999Not eligible to practice law in CA (25 years, 9 months ago)
Discipline w/actual suspension 91-O-02044
16 August 1999Not eligible to practice law in CA (25 years, 10 months ago)
Ordered inactive 97-O-16762
16 April 1998Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 97-O-16762 (27 years, 2 months ago)
15 December 1995Active (29 years, 6 months ago)
13 March 1993Not eligible to practice law in CA (32 years, 3 months ago)
Discipline w/actual suspension 89-O-17937
25 October 1992Not eligible to practice law in CA (32 years, 8 months ago)
Ordered inactive
4 October 1991Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 89-O-17937 (33 years, 8 months ago)
2 December 1981Admitted to the State Bar of California (43 years, 6 months ago)

Discipline Summaries

January 12, 2000

WILLIAM EDGAR DAVIS III [#101641], 46, of Los Angeles was disbarred Jan. 12, 2000. He was ordered to comply with rule 955 of the California Rules of Court.

In a default proceeding, the State Bar Court found that Davis intentionally failed to perform legal services competently in two matters and twice failed to communicate with clients.

The court recommended disbarment because of the “overwhelming predominance of aggravating circumstances.”

In the first matter, a client paid Davis $650 to file a bankruptcy matter. After a month, he stopped communicating with her and she was unable to reach him despite at least 25 phone calls.

His paralegal prepared the bankruptcy petition, which the client filed on her own. Davis never paid the paralegal or reviewed her work; she placed 26 calls to him but he never responded.

Davis never prepared a bankruptcy petition for another client, who had paid him $1,000. He did not return phone calls or refund the fee.

According to the bar court, Davis threatened both clients with a lawsuit for slander. The threat to the first client amounted to moral turpitude because Davis improperly attempted to dissuade the ex-client from pursuing her complaint to the bar. He did not ask the second client to withdraw his complaint.

Davis was disciplined twice previously. In 1993, he was suspended for abandoning three criminal clients, disobeying four court orders to appear at hearings, and abandoning a client in a personal injury matter.

In 1999, the bar court found that Davis failed to maintain in trust $2,299 of a client’s funds, and delayed 19 months before paying a medical lien.

September 17, 1999

WILLIAM EDGAR DAVIS III [#101641], 45, of Los Angeles was suspended for four years, stayed, placed on three years of probation with an actual three-year suspension, and was ordered to make restitution, prove his rehabilitation, take the MPRE and comply with rule 955. The order took effect Sept. 17, 1999.

In a personal injury case, Davis deposited two insurance checks into his client trust account. However, at one point, the balance fell below the required amount, and Davis thus failed to maintain client funds in trust.

He also failed to promptly pay out client funds by delaying payment of a medical lien for 19 months, and he misappropriated client funds, committing an act of moral turpitude.

Davis has a prior record of discipline. He was suspended for abandoning clients and disobeying court orders to appear at hearings for those clients.

He did not cooperate with the bar’s investigation of the newer case.