Woodland Hills, CA 91367-5108
19 May 2012 | Active (12 years, 11 months ago) |
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18 November 2011 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years, 5 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 07-O-13006 |
27 December 2010 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 07-O-13006 (14 years, 4 months ago) |
16 September 2010 | Active (14 years, 7 months ago) |
1 July 2009 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (15 years, 10 months ago) Suspended, failed to pay fees |
1 July 2009 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (15 years, 10 months ago) Admin Inactive/MCLE noncompliance |
3 September 2008 | Active (16 years, 8 months ago) |
1 July 2008 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (16 years, 10 months ago) Suspended, failed to pay fees |
11 December 1987 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (37 years, 5 months ago) |
November 18, 2011 WILLIAM EDWARD JOHNSON, 51, of Woodland Hills was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on three years of probation with a six-month actual suspension and he was ordered to take the MPRE within one year and comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. The order took effect Nov. 18, 2011. Johnson stipulated to nine counts of misconduct in three matters.The first client paid advance fees of $11,125 and Johnson filed a lawsuit on her behalf. She subsequently had trouble reaching him, the defense attorney could not contact him, and Johnson did not respond to interrogatories. A new lawyer was unable to obtain the client’s file, a substitution form or a refund of unearned fees. Johnson was sanctioned $2,518, which he paid.He stipulated that he failed to respond to reasonable status inquiries from his client, withdrew from employment without protecting his client’s interests, paid the sanctions late and did not cooperate with the bar’s investigation.Johnson was hired to serve as a client’s arbitrator in a medical malpractice matter but took no steps to hire a neutral arbitrator or to pursue his client’s arbitration. The client fired him but he did not refund the unearned fee for several years and didn’t respond to a bar investigator’s inquiries.Another medical malpractice client’s case settled for $250,000, but after depositing the funds in his trust account, he miscalculated his fees and misappropriated $4,900 from his client, committing an act of moral turpitude, and allowed the balance in his trust account to fall below the required amount.In mitigation, Johnson had no prior discipline record, provided extensive character references, and was suffering from severe depression as a result of the death of his wife. |