Todd James Hilts is an active member of the California Bar and was admitted 4th December 1997. Todd graduated from University of San Diego SOL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Todd James Hilts |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 4 December 1997 (26 years, 4 months ago) |
| Status | Active |
| Bar Number | 190711 |
| Sections | Criminal Law |
Contact
| Current Email | [email protected] |
|---|---|
| Previous Email | [email protected] |
| Phone Number | 619-531-7900 |
| Fax Number | 619-531-7904 |
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 Todd J Hilts, 1912 Coronado Ave Ste 102 San Diego, CA 92154-2044 |
|---|---|
| Map |
History
| 29 January 2012 | Active (12 years, 2 months ago) |
|---|---|
| 29 January 2011 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years, 2 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 07-O-12819 |
| 4 December 1997 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (26 years, 4 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
January 29, 2011 TODD JAMES HILTS [#190711], 39, of San Diego was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on three years of probation with an actual one-year suspension and he was ordered to take the MRPE and comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. The order took effect Jan. 29, 2011. Hilts stipulated that he misappropriated funds and commingled funds in one matter, represented conflicting interests without proper written disclosure in a second matter, and failed to maintain advanced costs in his client trust account or account for fees in a third matter. He also did not cooperate with the bar’s investigation.In the first matter, a personal injury client obtained a $5,000 loan, granting the lender a lien against any recovery of $5,000 plus a $1,500 fee and 3.95 percent interest on the $6,500. Hilts acknowledged the lien and agreed not to distribute any recovery to the client until the lien was satisfied. He did not notify the defendant or its attorney of the lien.He settled the case for $135,000 and wrote a series of checks to the client and other parties, using both the settlement funds and personal funds. He allowed the balance in the trust account to fall below the required amount. The lender notified the defendant at one point that the client owed $9,876 and that interest was accruing at a rate of 3.95 percent. That was the first the defendant knew about the lien.Hilts stipulated that he misappropriated $8,848, committing an act of moral turpitude, did not properly maintain client funds and commingled funds in his trust account.He filed a divorce petition on behalf of the wife in a second matter. Because the client was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, several parties attempted to be appointed her conservator, including the husband, whose request was denied. The couple’s daughter had unsuccessfully petitioned to be her mother’s conservator and attempted to have another individual appointed. The mother’s estate was worth $3 million.The husband hired Hilts to represent the daughter in the conservatorship matter. Hilts admitted that the father controlled the daughter and her money, paid her legal fees, and that the daughter’s petition for conservatorship was filed to terminate the dissolution. He therefore had a potential conflict of interest. Hilts did not obtain the father and daughter’s written consent to the representation.In the third matter, he did not deposit advanced costs in his client trust account or account for the money.In mitigation, Hilts made restitution to the lender in the first matter and repaid the advanced costs in the third, he presented character witnesses who testified that his conduct was aberrational, his personal injury experience was limited, no clients were harmed and he had to devote considerable time to care for his father, who had suffered a massive stroke. |