Laurie Anne Stoffel was admitted to the California Bar 11th December 1987, but is now resigned. Laurie graduated from UC Davis SOL King Hall.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Laurie Anne Stoffel |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 11 December 1987 (36 years, 5 months ago) |
| Status | Resigned |
| Bar Number | 130897 |
Contact
| Current Email | [email protected] |
|---|---|
| Phone Number | 916-486-7000 |
| Fax Number | 916-486-1788 |
Schools
| Law School | UC Davis SOL King Hall (Davis CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | Claremont McKenna Coll (Claremont CA) |
Address
| Current Address | P O Box 19252 Sacramento, CA 95819 |
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| Map |
History
| 27 January 2002 | Resigned (22 years, 3 months ago) Resignation with charges pending 01-Q-04954 |
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| 4 December 2001 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (22 years, 5 months ago) Vol.inactive(tender of resign.w/charges) 01-Q-04954 |
| 8 August 2001 | Discipline, probation; no actual susp. 00-O-14876 (22 years, 9 months ago) |
| 26 April 2001 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (23 years ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 97-O-17578 |
| 31 December 2000 | Inactive (23 years, 4 months ago) |
| 11 December 1987 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (36 years, 5 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
August 8, 2001 LAURIE ANN STOFFEL [#130897], 40, of Sacramento was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on probation for four years and was ordered to make restitution. The order took effect Aug. 8, 2001. Stoffel stipulated that she failed to refund unearned fees. In June 2000, she represented a woman in a divorce and was paid $2,000 in advance fees. She performed some legal services, leaving a credit balance of $1,775 owed the client. Stoffel did not perform any further legal services or refund the unearned fees.As a condition of her probation, Stoffel was ordered to pay restitution to the client plus10 percent interest.In mitigation, she cooperated with the bar’s investigation.April 26, 2001 LAURIE A. STOFFEL [#130897], 40, of Sacramento was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on probation for four years with an actual one-year suspension and was ordered to make restitution, attend ethics school, take the MPRE within one year and comply with rule 955. The order took effect April 26, 2001. In nine matters, Stoffel stipulated to misconduct including improper withdrawal from client representation and failure to perform legal services competently, return client files or refund unearned client fees.Three matters involved Stoffel’s husband, who worked as a paralegal in her law firm. Former clients mistook him for an attorney and said he misled them about performing legal services on their behalf. Although Stoffel said she knew little or nothing of her husband’s activities, the State Bar Court concluded that by failing to adequately supervise her husband in his communication with clients, Stoffel failed to perform legal services competently.In one of the matters, tenants of a shopping mall say Stoffel’s husband approached them and obtained their permission to renegotiate their leases. Some signed retainer agreements with Stoffel’s law firm. The tenants say the husband unsuccessfully tried to renegotiate their leases and eventually another lawyer in the firm was assigned to handle an action on their behalf to resolve the matter.Although the attorney filed a lawsuit, she quit before the case was concluded. Stoffel’s husband fielded their calls and assured them the case was moving along and they could expect a monetary award.In fact, nothing was being done, written communications went unanswered and no documentation of the lawsuit was ever provided. The tenants eventually settled the matter on their own after being unable to obtain their files.In four matters, Stoffel did not refund the balance of unearned fees, twice failed to perform competently and once improperly withdrew from representation. One client won a small claims judgment against her.She filed a divorce action in the wrong county and agreed to an erroneous court order that the client’s child could not be removed from a county in which she did not reside.In a child custody matter, Stoffel submitted a transcript of a taped telephone conversation between her client and his former wife as an attachment to a motion. The former wife was unaware the conversation was taped and did not give her permission to disclose the conversation.In mitigation, Stoffel has suffered emotional difficulties, including hospitalizations for psychiatric reasons, and receives ongoing care from mental health professionals. She fired her husband from the law firm and is seeking a divorce. In addition, her 7-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with spinal cancer, is paralyzed and is undergoing chemotherapy. Stoffel has no prior record of discipline and cooperated with the bar’s investigation. |