Juan Antonio Molina was admitted to the California Bar 28th November 1995, but has since been disbarred. Juan graduated from University of San Diego SOL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Juan Antonio Molina |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 28 November 1995 (29 years, 6 months ago) |
| Status | Disbarred |
| Bar Number | 177982 |
Contact
| Current Email | [email protected] |
|---|---|
| Phone Number | 760-455-8249 |
Schools
| Law School | University of San Diego SOL (San Diego CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | University of California San Diego (La Jolla CA) |
Address
| Current Address | Law Ofc Juan Antonio Molina, 101 Herber Ave #B Calexico, CA 92231 |
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| Map |
History
| 5 October 2007 | Disbarred (17 years, 8 months ago) Disbarment 06-O-10009 |
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| 27 April 2007 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (18 years, 1 month ago) Ordered inactive 06-O-10009 |
| 27 June 2006 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 06-O-10009 (18 years, 12 months ago) |
| 28 April 2006 | Active (19 years, 1 month ago) |
| 10 February 2006 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (19 years, 4 months ago) Suspended, failed to pass Prof.Resp.Exam 02-O-15798 |
| 19 January 2006 | Active (19 years, 5 months ago) |
| 20 November 2005 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (19 years, 7 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 05-O-00160 |
| 3 January 2005 | Active (20 years, 5 months ago) |
| 4 December 2004 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (20 years, 6 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 02-O-15798 |
| 28 November 1995 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (29 years, 6 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
October 5, 2007 JUAN ANTONIO MOLINA [#177982], 40, of Calexico was disbarred Oct. 5, 2007, and he was ordered to comply with rule 9.20. The State Bar Court found that Molina engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, committing an act of moral turpitude, and he violated probation conditions and misled the court. Molina was suspended and placed on probation in 2004 after he stipulated to four counts of misconduct in his handling of a bankruptcy case. Less than a year later, he was disciplined again after stipulating that he practiced law while suspended, working on at least five cases. He also committed acts of moral turpitude by misrepresenting his status to clients and the courts. In the new proceeding, the court found that despite the second discipline, Molina kept his practice and client intake procedures intact, maintaining his law office, staffed by two people, in Calexico. He also advertised his legal services on a large billboard along the international border in Mexicali that was clearly visible on the U.S. side. After a bar investigator determined that Molina continued to take cases, the bar obtained a court order to take over his practice in March 2006. A few months later, Molina updated his membership records with a new address. While suspended, Molina prepared applications for adjustments to the immigration status of four clients. He also continued the representation of 12 clients and attempted to make a court appearance for one of them. The judge knew Molina was suspended and instructed him not to appear again until his status changed. The following day, another client appeared before the same judge with a different lawyer, who told the judge Molina asked him to appear because he was attending to another case. Yet another client appeared the next day, telling the judge Molina could not be there because he was in Mexico. In another matter, Molina was suspended shortly after a pretrial conference had been scheduled. He asked another attorney to appear without informing him of the suspension. Molina remained attorney of record until opposing counsel informed the court and a lawyer who appeared for him that Molina was suspended. He never told his client about his suspension. While suspended in 2005, Molina violated the terms of his probation by filing three quarterly reports late and filing one report in which he declared under penalty of perjury that he had complied with various professional rules, even though he had engaged in unauthorized practice. Judge Pat McElroy, who recommended Molina’s disbarment, said he was engaged in continuous misconduct since August 1999, adding that she does not trust him. “He has not given the court a reason to believe that he will not practice law without authorization if he is suspended instead of being disbarred,†McElroy wrote.November 20, 2005 JUAN A. MOLINA [#177982], 38, of Calexico was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on probation for two years with a 60-day actual suspension and was ordered to prove his rehabilitation. The order took effect Nov. 20, 2005. Molina stipulated that he practiced law while suspended, working on at least five cases. He made court appearances in two juvenile matters and at least three immigration matters without telling the court he was suspended.He committed acts of moral turpitude by misrepresenting his status to clients and the courts.The suspension was imposed in 2004 for failing to perform legal services competently or communicate with clients and for committing an act of moral turpitude.December 4, 2004 JUAN A. MOLINA [#177982], 37, of Calexico was suspended for one year, stayed, placed on two years of probation with a 30-day actual suspension and was ordered to take the MPRE within one year. The order took effect Dec. 4, 2004. Molina stipulated to four counts of misconduct in his handling of a bankruptcy case. Over the course of about a year, his client called him three to four times a week. Molina or his employees told the client that his matter had been filed and not to worry and later had him sign a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition.For the next 14 months, the client called about three times a week and met with Molina at least 40 times in an effort to determine the status of his petition. Molina told the client that a judge refused to sign the petition and later said only one more signature was needed to finalize the bankruptcy. Eventually, Molina said everything was completed, but the client was unable to meet with him. In fact, the bankruptcy petition was not filed until more than four years after the client first requested it. Molina also provided the bar with a calendar of dates when he supposedly met with the client, but according to the stipulation, the dates were not correct.Molina stipulated that he failed to perform legal services competently, keep a client informed of developments in his case or respond to a client’s status inquiries, and he committed acts of moral turpitude by making misrepresentations to the client.In mitigation, he has no prior record of discipline in nine years of practice. |