Joseph Lynn DeClue was admitted to the California Bar 6th April 1993, but has since been disbarred. Joseph graduated from Western State University COL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Joseph Lynn DeClue |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 6 April 1993 (32 years, 1 month ago) |
| Status | Disbarred |
| Bar Number | 163954 |
| Practice Areas | Criminal Law Debtor & Creditor Immigration Litigation Real Estate |
Contact
| Current Email | [email protected] |
|---|---|
| Phone Number | (949) 596-7145 |
| Fax Number | (949) 258-5899 |
Schools
| Law School | Western State University COL (Fullerton CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | California St University Fullerton (CA) |
Address
| Current Address | 1331 W 1st St, Ste 201 Santa Ana, CA 92703-3761 |
|---|---|
| Map | |
| Previous Address | De Clue Law Group, PC 2372 SE Bristol St Fl 2 Newport Beach, CA 92660 |
History
| 31 March 2017 | Disbarred (8 years, 1 month ago) Disbarment 14-O-05915 |
|---|---|
| 28 October 2016 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (8 years, 7 months ago) Ordered inactive 14-O-05915 |
| 21 October 2016 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (8 years, 7 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 14-O-00482 |
| 1 February 2016 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 14-O-05915 (9 years, 3 months ago) |
| 25 September 2014 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 14-O-00482 (10 years, 8 months ago) |
| 25 April 2014 | Discipline, probation; no actual susp. 13-O-11459 (11 years, 1 month ago) |
| 6 April 1993 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (32 years, 1 month ago) |
Discipline Summaries
October 21, 2016 JOSEPH LYNN DECLUE [#163954], 63, of Newport Beach, was suspended from the practice of law for six months and until he makes restitution. He was also placed on two years’ probation and faces a two-year suspension if he fails to comply with the terms of his disciplinary probation. The order took effect Oct. 21, 2016. A State Bar Court judge found DeClue culpable of illegally charging and collecting advanced fees for loan modification services in two client matters. DeClue appealed, asserting that even if he was culpable, the discipline was too severe. A three-judge review panel adopted the judge’s findings with only minor modifications.In August 2012, DeClue opened the Millenia Law Group and hired a company staffed by non-attorneys to run it. Despite learning that the non-attorneys were tied to another lawyer’s disciplinary troubles, he paid them $175,000 a month to manage Millenia, gave them significant control over the firm and client matters and did not supervise them.He was ordered to pay $11,500 plus interest in restitution In aggravation, DeClue had a prior record of discipline, his conduct caused harm to his clients and he failed to make restitution. Both the hearing judge and the review panel found no factors in mitigation.April 25, 2014 JOSEPH LYNN DECLUE [#163954], 61, of Santa Ana was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on two years’ probation and ordered to take the MPRE. The order took effect April 25, 2014. DeClue stipulated to three counts of misconduct in two client matters involving loan modification work. In the first matter, in 2013, DeClue failed to properly supervise a non-lawyer employee who exceeded his client intake duties. He provided a couple with DeClue’s retainer agreement and persuaded them to hire him to negotiate a home mortgage loan modification on their behalf. He also provided the couple with legal advice by analyzing their financial information and stating that based on his evaluation of their financial information, they qualified for a loan modification. In addition, DeClue broke the law by charging the couple $3,000 in advance before performing all the home loan modification services to which he had agreed.In the second matter, in 2012, DeClue charged a client $3,500 in advanced fees for loan modification services. He ultimately refunded the money.In mitigation, DeClue had no prior discipline and cooperated with the State Bar by entering into a pretrial stipulation. |
Languages
| Other Language Spoken by this Attorney | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Other Language Spoken by the Law Office Staff | Arabic |