Herman Cowan Jr was admitted to the California Bar 12th December 1983, but has since been disbarred. Herman graduated from UCLA SOL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Herman Cowan Jr |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 12 December 1983 (40 years, 4 months ago) |
| Status | Disbarred |
| Bar Number | 111342 |
Contact
| Phone Number | 510-452-1591 |
|---|---|
| Fax Number | 510-452-3740 |
Schools
| Law School | UCLA SOL (Los Angeles CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | University of San Francisco (San Francisco CA) |
Address
| Current Address | 1007 39th St Oakland, CA 94608-3816 |
|---|---|
| Map |
History
| 16 August 1998 | Disbarred (25 years, 8 months ago) Disbarment 96-O-06104 |
|---|---|
| 12 September 1997 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (26 years, 7 months ago) Ordered inactive 96-O-06104 |
| 22 July 1997 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 96-O-06104 (26 years, 9 months ago) |
| 21 July 1997 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (26 years, 9 months ago) Suspended, failed to pay fees |
| 24 May 1995 | Active (28 years, 11 months ago) |
| 25 March 1995 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (29 years, 1 month ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 94-PM-15380 |
| 1 December 1994 | Active (29 years, 5 months ago) |
| 11 November 1994 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (29 years, 5 months ago) Ordered inactive 94-PM-15380 |
| 3 January 1994 | Active (30 years, 4 months ago) |
| 7 August 1993 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (30 years, 9 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 92-H-12289 |
| 8 January 1993 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (31 years, 3 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 91-H-07072 |
| 11 May 1992 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 92-H-12289 (31 years, 11 months ago) |
| 22 November 1991 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 91-H-07072 (32 years, 5 months ago) |
| 22 March 1991 | Private reproval, public disclosure 89-O-15976 (33 years, 1 month ago) |
| 30 July 1990 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (33 years, 9 months ago) Suspended, failed to pay fees |
| 15 June 1990 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 89-O-15976 (33 years, 10 months ago) |
| 3 May 1989 | Active (35 years ago) |
| 25 July 1988 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (35 years, 9 months ago) Suspended, failed to pay fees |
| 12 December 1983 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (40 years, 4 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
August 16, 1998 HERMAN COWAN JR. [#111342], 40, of Oakland was disbarred Aug. 16, 1998, and was ordered to comply with rule 955. In a default proceeding, the State Bar Court found that Cowan committed 11 counts of misconduct in three client matters. They included failure to provide an accounting to one client, perform legal services competently, return unearned fees or cooperate with the bar's investigation, and misrepresentation of the status of a case. He also failed to appear on time at numerous court appearances during a criminal trial and violated court orders, constituting acts of disrespect to the court and of moral turpitude.In the first matter, Cowan was hired by a woman to represent her son in a criminal case. The mother paid Cowan $1,000. When the son dismissed Cowan, the mother asked for an accounting and a refund of any unearned fees. Cowan did not do so.In another matter, a client hired Cowan to file a petition for legal separation from her husband, paying him $1,000 in advance. He never filed any papers or refunded any fees.Cowan also represented a client in a criminal case, but did not appear at 11 hearings before the trial began. He was sanctioned $1,000. During the trial, he was late or absent numerous times. Cited for contempt, he told the court he suffered from alcoholism, said he was enrolled in a three-month rehabilitation program and asked for a continuance. He was granted a continuance, but subsequently failed to appear on three more occasions.There was no mitigation.Cowan has a prior record of discipline, all apparently inseparable from his substance abuse. In 1991, he was privately reproved for failure to appear at scheduled court proceedings, pay sanctions, keep his bar membership records current or cooperate with the bar's investigation.In 1992, he was suspended and placed on probation after he violated the terms of the probation associated with the private reproval. Continued violations of that probation led to suspensions and additional probation in 1993 and 1994, despite his claims that he was drug-free.Noting that public protection is the first priority of attorney discipline, hearing Judge Eugene E. Brott wrote, "Where there are substantial doubts about whether an attorney will conform his future conduct to the professional standards demanded of California attorneys, the Supreme Court has not hesitated in ordering disbarment."Cowan, he continued, "remains a risk to the public, his future clients and the legal profession. Disbarment is the proper remedy." |