San Diego, CA 92101-1514
23 June 2011 | Active (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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23 April 2011 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 06-O-10610 |
7 September 1994 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (29 years, 7 months ago) |
April 23, 2011 WILLIAM BRANSFIELD SULLIVAN [#171637], 45, of San Diego was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on two years of probation with an actual 60-day suspension and he was ordered to take the MPRE within one year. The order took effect April 23, 2011. Sullivan stipulated to eight acts of misconduct, all the result of failures to oversee his law firm’s trust account, which were controlled by his law partner. His focus was litigation while his partner was responsible for the firm’s business activities. Sullivan did not review any trust account statements for 2005.His partner paid personal expenses from the trust account, deposited a settlement check in the firm’s general account instead of the trust account, and mishandled client funds, misappropriating $63,750 from one client, $69,000 from another and nearly $5,000 from a third. Sullivan stipulated that he failed to involve himself in even minimal oversight of three trust accounts. One client waited five years to receive her settlement funds. In mitigation, Sullivan practiced for 11 years without discipline, prohibited his partner from doing any further work for the firm, and he cooperated with the bar’s investigation. |