Karineh Avanessian is an active member of the California Bar and was admitted 14th December 1987. Karineh graduated from University of LaVerne COL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Karineh Avanessian |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 14 December 1987 (37 years, 6 months ago) |
| Status | Active |
| Bar Number | 130048 |
Contact
| Current Email | [email protected] |
|---|---|
| Phone Number | 818-424-8885 |
Schools
| Law School | University of LaVerne COL (Ontario CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | California St University Northridge (CA) |
Address
| Current Address | Karineh Avanessian, Esq, 500 Jackson Pl Unit 222 Glendale, CA 91206-2356 |
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| Map |
History
| 8 November 2005 | Active (19 years, 7 months ago) |
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| 31 July 2005 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (19 years, 10 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 02-O-11044 |
| 2 July 2003 | Active (21 years, 11 months ago) |
| 3 May 2003 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (22 years, 1 month ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 00-O-10824 |
| 26 June 2002 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 00-O-10824 (22 years, 12 months ago) |
| 14 December 1987 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (37 years, 6 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
July 31, 2005 KARINEH AVANESSIAN [#130048], 49, of Encino was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on two years of probation with a 100-day actual suspension and was ordered to prove her rehabilitation and comply with rule 955. The order took effect July 31, 2005. Avanessian employed a non-lawyer who did paralegal and clerical work for her in an office in Encino. Avanessian’s office was in Glendale and she sometimes used the Encino office. The paralegal had a client sign a fee agreement and referred her to the paralegal’s wife, a chiropractor who worked in the same building. The paralegal signed and sent a letter of representation to an insurance company on behalf of Avanessian. The letter and other documents listed Avanessian’s office in Encino.Avanessian did not respond to a settlement offer before the statute of limitations expired, nor did she file a lawsuit by that time. She says she instructed her paralegal to prepare and file the suit, and he showed her a fabricated suit that he said he had filed. The suit bore Avanessian’s signature, but she says the paralegal signed it.The paralegal later settled the claim for $3,220, and faxed a fabricated summons and complaint to the client to mislead her. The attorney for the insurance company asked for and received copies of a request to dismiss the suit and a release form that purported to be signed by Avanessian and the client respectively. In fact, neither signed the documents.The settlement check was sent to the client’s cousin and cashed with the client’s forged signature.Avanessian did not properly supervise her paralegal, which resulted in the filing of a fraudulent lawsuit and obtaining settlement funds under false pretenses. She falsely held herself out as maintaining a law office in a location where she did not work. She stipulated that she failed to perform legal services competently and committed an act of moral turpitude.She also stipulated that she improperly split legal fees with the paralegal in 12 cases.In another case, the paralegal led a client to believe for more than a year that Avanessian had accepted her personal injury case and was working on it. In fact, Avanessian had rejected the case. She stipulated that she failed to supervise her employee.Avanessian also was disciplined in 2003.In mitigation, she trusted the paralegal, with whom she had been friends for 10 years. She did not discover his fraud until after the State Bar opened an investigation and she fired him and made restitution to the insurance company.May 3, 2003 KARINEH AVANESSIAN [#130048], 47, of Glendale was suspended for one year, stayed, placed on one year of probation with an actual 60-day suspension and was ordered to take the MPRE within a year. The order took effect May 3, 2003. Avanessian stipulated that she did not advise the bar in writing that she employed as a paralegal an attorney who had resigned with charges pending following a criminal conviction.The resigned attorney also appeared in court at Avanessian’s direction. He appeared at two court proceedings and at a status conference, and represented the client at binding arbitration proceedings.Neither Avanessian nor the resigned attorney notified the court, opposing counsel or the arbitrator that he was not entitled to practice. |