James Robert Patterson was admitted to the California Bar 24th August 1994, but has since been disbarred. James graduated from UC Davis SOL King Hall.
Lawyer Information
| Name | James Robert Patterson |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 24 August 1994 (30 years, 8 months ago) |
| Status | Disbarred |
| Bar Number | 171580 |
Schools
| Law School | UC Davis SOL King Hall (Davis CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | Brigham Young University (Provo UT) |
Address
| Current Address | 940 S 5th W, Apt 17104 Rexburg, ID 83440-1099 |
|---|---|
| Map | |
| Previous Address | PO Box 191412 San Diego, CA 92159 |
History
| 4 February 2012 | Disbarred (13 years, 3 months ago) Disbarment 08-O-11591 |
|---|---|
| 28 August 2011 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years, 8 months ago) Ordered inactive 08-O-11591 |
| 10 July 2011 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years, 9 months ago) Ordered inactive 08-O-11591 |
| 25 November 2009 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (15 years, 5 months ago) Vol.inactive(tender of resign.w/charges) 09-Q-18510 |
| 3 November 2009 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 08-O-11591 (15 years, 6 months ago) |
| 1 July 2009 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (15 years, 10 months ago) Suspended, failed to pay fees |
| 24 August 1994 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (30 years, 8 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
February 4, 2012 JAMES ROBERT PATTERSON, 47, of San Diego was disbarred Feb. 4, 2012, and was ordered to make restitution and comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. In a default proceeding, the State Bar Court found that Patterson committed 25 acts of misconduct in nine client matters, including nine counts of moral turpitude and one for advising a client to lie. In addition, he failed to perform legal services competently, return unearned fees, release a client file, maintain a current address with the bar or cooperate with the bar’s investigation, and he improperly withdrew from representation. Although Patterson submitted his resignation to the bar in 2009, the Supreme Court rejected it.He originally worked for an immigration lawyer and when he left 12 years later, he took case files without the other lawyer’s agreement. All the matters that led to Patterson’s disbarment were immigration cases.In one matter, for example, a client hired Patterson to appeal a denied application for cancellation of removal. After the appeal was denied, the client married a U.S. citizen and Patterson advised her that she could apply to immigrate through her husband without having to leave the country. However, he never filed a petition on her behalf, although he repeatedly told the client he had done so. The client ultimately was arrested and removed to Mexico.When she returned later, Patterson prepared a petition that stated under penalty of perjury that the client was living in Mexico; he advised the client and her husband to sign the petition on different dates to create the appearance that she still lived in Mexico. Patterson never filed the petition.He misappropriated money belonging to two clients and failed to refund unearned fees to three others. He was ordered to make restitution to four clients totaling $5,555, plus 10 percent interest. |