G Paul Howes is an active member of the California Bar and was admitted 9th April 1997. G graduated from University of Virginia SOL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | G Paul Howes |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 9 April 1997 (27 years ago) |
| Status | Active |
| Bar Number | 187772 |
Contact
| Current Email | [email protected] |
|---|---|
| Phone Number | 619-571-3953 |
Schools
| Law School | University of Virginia SOL (Charlottesville VA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | University of New Mexico (Albuquerque NM) |
Address
| Current Address | 1726 Chacoma Pl SW Albuquerque, NM 87104-1109 |
|---|---|
| Map | |
| Previous Address | 13046 Signature Pt Apt 39 San Diego, CA 92130 |
History
| 5 July 2018 | Active (5 years, 9 months ago) |
|---|---|
| 7 January 2015 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (9 years, 3 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 09-J-14696 |
| 31 January 2014 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 13-J-15307 (10 years, 2 months ago) |
| 28 June 2013 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 09-J-14696 (10 years, 10 months ago) |
| 9 April 1997 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (27 years ago) |
Discipline Summaries
January 7, 2015 Past discipline in out-of-state drug and murder cases spurs CA lawyer’s suspension A prominent trial attorney who devoted his early career to fighting an epidemic of drug-related homicides in the nation’s capital has been suspended for professional misconduct. G. Paul Howes [#187772] was suspended from the practice of law for three years and until he shows proof of his rehabilitation for misconduct he committed while serving as an assistant U. S. attorney in Washington, D.C. His misconduct included communicating with a represented defendant without his lawyer’s permission and misusing thousands of dollars’ worth of federal vouchers. Howes’ suspension went into effect Jan. 7, 2015. Howes, 65, of San Diego, who went on to build a nationwide reputation as a top securities class action lawyer, was suspended in California as a result of discipline in two other jurisdictions – a May 1997 public reproval by the New Mexico Supreme Court and his 2012 disbarment by the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia. The underlying misconduct occurred outside of California and before Howes became licensed to practice law in California. “Although this court finds no basis for recommending that Respondent be disbarred in this state as a result of his misconduct two decades ago in the District of Columbia, the court does conclude that significant discipline is nonetheless required to make clear to all the impropriety of that conduct and to protect the public’s faith in the criminal justice system, both here and throughout the country,†State Bar Court Judge Donald F. Miles wrote in his decision filed July 21. Howes’ disbarment stemmed from work he did in the early and mid-1990s investigating and prosecuting two large drug and murder cases, as well as the investigation of a sexual assault. In the course of working on those cases, Howes gave $42,900 in federal vouchers to individuals who were not entitled to receive them and failed to disclose the payments to either the court or opposing counsel. The recipients included family and friends of government witnesses, incarcerated government witnesses and former police officers associated with the cases. When the allegations came to light, nine of the defendants’ sentences were substantially reduced. According to the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), which opened its misconduct investigation in March 1996, Howes used the government’s witness fee funds as a discretionary source of money to be paid out virtually at will. “Although OPR found that Respondent was pursuing legitimate goals and did not personally profit from the use of vouchers, OPR concluded that Respondent significantly misused government funds by his issuance of improper federal vouchers and that he committed intentional professional misconduct,†judge Miles wrote in the decision. “OPR concluded that Respondent distributed the vouchers in ways that went so far beyond the limits of appropriate conduct as to constitute flagrant abuse of the system.†In the other incident that led to his public reproval, Howes talked repeatedly over the phone with a defendant in a murder case, even though he knew the man was represented and that the man’s lawyer objected to their conversations. Howes also advised and aided a detective in communicating with the defendant. Although the misconduct occurred in Washington, the Board of Professional Responsibility for the District of Columbia referred the case to New Mexico’s disciplinary counsel because it didn’t have jurisdiction over him due to his employment as an assistant U. S. attorney. At the time, Howes was admitted to the practice of law in New Mexico. In mitigation, Howes had no prior record of discipline in California, cooperated with the State Bar and in the Washington proceeding, has done pro bono work and extensive community service and charitable activities and presented extensive good character testimony. |