Roy Chester Dickson was admitted to the California Bar 3rd December 1982, but has since been disbarred. Roy graduated from UCLA SOL.

Lawyer Information

NameRoy Chester Dickson
First Admitted3 December 1982 (42 years, 6 months ago)
StatusDisbarred
Bar Number105583

Contact

Current Email[email protected]
Phone Number714-541-8080
Fax Number714-541-8090

Schools

Law SchoolUCLA SOL (Los Angeles CA)
Undergraduate SchoolCalifornia St University (Los Angeles CA)

Address

Current AddressDickson & Associates, 2323 N Tustin Ave Ste I
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Map

History

26 July 2013Disbarred (11 years, 10 months ago)
Disbarment 07-O-11521
2 July 2013Not eligible to practice law in CA (11 years, 11 months ago)
Suspended, failed to pay fees
9 September 2012Not eligible to practice law in CA (12 years, 9 months ago)
Ordered inactive 07-O-11521
7 November 2011Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 10-O-00325 (13 years, 7 months ago)
9 September 2011Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years, 9 months ago)
Discipline w/actual suspension 06-O-11022
12 August 2011Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 08-O-13770 (13 years, 10 months ago)
24 June 2011Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 07-O-11521 (13 years, 12 months ago)
16 February 2006Active (19 years, 4 months ago)
3 December 2005Not eligible to practice law in CA (19 years, 6 months ago)
Discipline w/actual suspension 01-O-03184
17 August 2004Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 01-O-03184 (20 years, 10 months ago)
21 October 2001Discipline, probation; no actual susp. 96-O-06449 (23 years, 8 months ago)
15 May 1998Private reproval, public disclosure 96-O-03481 (27 years, 1 month ago)
10 October 1997Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 96-O-03481 (27 years, 8 months ago)
15 August 1997Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 96-O-07724 (27 years, 10 months ago)
3 December 1982Admitted to the State Bar of California (42 years, 6 months ago)

Discipline Summaries

July 26, 2013

ROY CHESTER DICKSON [#105583], 65, of Santa Ana, was disbarred July 26, 2013 and was ordered to comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court and to pay restitution.

Dickson was found culpable of multiple counts of misconduct in three client matters: moral turpitude, misrepresentation, failing to perform legal services with competence, improper withdrawal from employment, failure to communicate and failing to return unearned fees.

In one of the matters that led to his disbarment, in 1999 Dickson filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on behalf of a client when he had no intention of reorganizing under Chapter 11. Once the client’s home was saved, Dickson used two false documents in support of his motion to dismiss the Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition. As a result, the bankruptcy court imposed sanctions against Dickson and his client totaling $88,421.17.

At the time, Dickson was also representing the client in a RICO action which had been stayed while the bankruptcy case proceeded. When the stay was lifted in 2000, Dickson was ordered to comply with discovery requests. When he still had not complied by April 2004, the district court ordered compensatory damages against Dickson’s client and the other defendants for $678,318.17 and an additional $2,034,954.51 under RICO. Dickson then falsely claimed his client had not been subject to the order compelling discovery because he was still in bankruptcy proceedings at the time. To support the fabrication, Dickson submitted an altered docket sheet made to look like the stay in his client’s bankruptcy case was lifted months later than it actually was.

Dickson was ordered to pay $7,000 plus interest in restitution.

Dickson has four prior disciplines. In 1998, he received a private reproval for failing to act competently, promptly return files and property to a client, respond to a client, cooperate in the investigation and maintain his official membership records address. In 2001, he was suspended after stipulating to misconduct in two matters, including two counts of incompetence and two counts of failing to respond to clients or keep them apprised of significant developments. He received another suspension in 2005 for misconduct in three matters involving trust account mismanagement and failing to support the laws of California. In 2011, he was suspended for one year for the unauthorized practice of law while suspended.

March 27, 2013

ROY CHESTER DICKSON [#105583], 65, of Santa Ana, was placed on interim suspension March 27, 2013, following a conviction for willfully filing a false tax return, a felony. He was ordered to comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court.

September 9, 2011

ROY CHESTER DICKSON, 64, of Santa Ana was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on two years of probation with a one-year actual suspension and ordered to take the MPRE within one year and comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. The order took effect Sept. 9, 2011.

A State Bar Court review panel upheld a hearing judge’s findings that Dickson engaged in the unauthorized practice of law when he filed a petition with the court of appeal while he was suspended. Dickson had sought review, contending that the recommended one-year suspension was excessive.

Dickson was suspended in 2005 for trust account violations in three matters. While he was under investigation for capping, Dickson filed a petition in the court of appeal challenging a subpoena of his files and records issued by the Orange County district attorney. He represented himself as a licensed attorney. The review panel wrote, “Dickson was under no deadline pressure to file the petition and had he waited two days, he would have been entitled to” say his law license was current.

Dickson correctly argued that it was permissible for him to represent himself and to file the petition in the court of appeal on his own behalf even though he was not entitled to practice law. However, the review panel found he misrepresented his status, claiming under penalty of perjury that he was entitled to practice as “an attorney duly licensed to practice in all courts of the State of California.” The misrepresentation amounted to the unauthorized practice of law, the review panel said. It also agreed with the hearing judge, who rejected Dickson’s claims that his UPL was “a simple oversight.”

Although the hearing judge found no mitigating factors, the review judges gave him some mitigation for entering into a stipulation with the bar.

Dickson had been disciplined three times previously - he was publicly reproved in 1998, suspended in 2001 for failing to perform legal services competently or keep clients apprised of significant developments and he was suspended again in 2005 for trust account mismanagement.

December 3, 2005

ROY CHESTER DICKSON [#105583], 58, of Yorba Linda was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on two years of probation with a 75-day suspension and was ordered to take the MPRE within one year. The order took effect Dec. 3, 2005.

Dickson stipulated to four counts of misconduct in three cases.

In the first, he was hired to represent a group of beneficiaries in a probate matter. He received almost $200,000 in proceeds for the clients, but did not disclose that he’d received nearly half — $91,633 from the sale of real property. Several of the clients hired a new lawyer, and, when they learned about the property sale, asked him for their share.

Dickson mistakenly believed he was entitled to keep the entire amount as legal fees because some additional trust assets were discovered around the time the clients hired a new lawyer. Dickson and his clients eventually settled their dispute in a confidential agreement and he owes no restitution.

He stipulated that he failed to notify clients of his receipt of funds and did not maintain an accurate record of client funds.

In a second matter, Dickson hired a client to perform clerical duties in his office. When she quit, she filed a claim for unpaid wages with the California State Labor Commissioner, who awarded her $15,870. Dickson paid the claim plus interest nearly four years later. He stipulated that he violated his duty to uphold the law.

In the third matter, he wrote a check against insufficient funds in his client trust account and stipulated that he did not maintain a proper ledger for the account.

Dickson also was disciplined in 2001 for failing to perform legal services competently, return client files or communicate with clients. He was privately reproved in 1998.

In mitigation, he acted in good faith, cooperated with the bar’s investigation and demonstrated remorse.

October 21, 2001

ROY CHESTER DICKSON [#105583], 53, of Yorba Linda was suspended for six months, stayed, and placed on four years of probation. The order took effect Oct. 21, 2001.

Dickson stipulated to misconduct, which was primarily the result of health problems, in two cases.

He was employed to represent a plaintiff, a convicted felon confined to prison, in a medical malpractice case. The plaintiff’s brother paid Dickson $5,000 and signed a fee agreement allowing for an additional 20 percent of any recovery.

Dickson failed to appear at six hearings or depositions over the course of several months. During that time, he visited or was admitted to the hospital nine times, suffered an ulcerated eye and was left partially blinded. He also became dependent on pain medication. He filed three motions to set aside various court rulings; two were granted.

The client sued him for malpractice; the case was settled.

Although the client was aware of Dickson’s medical problems and Dickson said he was incapable of carrying out his obligations, he never sought to be relieved from the case.

His behavior was similar in a breach of contract case he was handling at the same time. A default judgment was entered when Dickson failed to appear and the client ultimately asked Dickson to file a bankruptcy petition for him.

Dickson filed a motion requesting a time extension to file a reorganization and payment plan, but the deadline passed. The civil case was taken off calendar and the bankruptcy court closed the bankruptcy case.

Dickson stipulated that in both matters, he failed to perform legal services competently or respond to client status inquries.

Dickson was privately reproved in 1998 for failing to perform, return client files or communicate with clients.

In mitigation, he cooperated with the bar’s investigation, reimbursed the second client for unearned fees, and attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to deal with his pain killer dependency.