Reno, NV 89512
2 May 2010 | Disbarred (15 years ago) |
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3 January 2009 | Not Eligible To Practice Law in CA (16 years, 4 months ago) |
18 July 2008 | Active (16 years, 9 months ago) |
1 July 2008 | Not Eligible To Practice Law in CA (16 years, 10 months ago) |
17 June 2008 | Active (16 years, 10 months ago) |
31 January 2008 | Not Eligible To Practice Law in CA (17 years, 3 months ago) |
11 December 1989 | Admitted to The State Bar of California (35 years, 5 months ago) |
January 3, 2009 PHYLLIS JOANN BRYAN [#145472], 50, of Reno was suspended for one year, stayed, placed on two years of probation with a 90-day actual suspension and she was ordered to take the MPRE within one year and comply with rule 9.20. The order took effect Jan. 3, 2009. Bryan stipulated to nine counts of misconduct in two matters.She represented two minors and four adults in a personal injury case that she settled for $87,500. She took attorney fees of more than $64,000 and prepared an initial preliminary accounting that showed she reimbursed herself $11,000 for unspecified costs.She paid $32,000 to the adults from her personal account, and prepared another accounting that showed she reimbursed herself $12,302 for costs.Although she filed a motion to enforce the settlement agreement against one of the defendants, she never served the motion and eventually took it off calendar. The defendant still owes money to Bryan’s clients.Bryan stipulated that she failed to perform legal services competently or properly account for their funds.In the second matter, she filed a suit for her client but did not file a case management conference statement or appear at the conference. When she failed to appear at a second conference, the case was dismissed.Bryan also failed to appear at an order to show cause hearing and was sanctioned $1,000. She didn’t pay the sanctions, did not notify her client the case was dismissed, did not respond to his inquiries or update him on the status of the case and, when he fired her, she did not return his file. She also did not notify the State Bar of the sanctions.Bryan stipulated that she failed to perform legal services competently, keep a client informed of developments in his case, respond to a client’s status inquiries, return a client file, report sanctions to the bar or cooperate with the bar’s investigation. She also violated court orders.In mitigation, Bryan had no prior discipline record. |