Rita Catherine Clegg was admitted to the California Bar 5th December 1997, but has since been disbarred. Rita graduated from San Joaquin COL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Rita Catherine Clegg |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 5 December 1997 (27 years, 5 months ago) |
| Status | Disbarred |
| Bar Number | 194060 |
Contact
| Phone Number | 559-638-7400 |
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Schools
| Law School | San Joaquin COL (Fresno CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | California St University Fresno (Fresno CA) |
Address
| Current Address | PO Box 1772 Hanford, CA 93232 |
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| Map |
History
| 15 October 2010 | Disbarred (14 years, 7 months ago) Disbarment 08-O-13458 |
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| 3 May 2010 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (15 years ago) Ordered inactive 08-O-13458 |
| 9 January 2010 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (15 years, 4 months ago) Ordered inactive 08-O-13458 |
| 5 December 1997 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (27 years, 5 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
October 15, 2010 RITA CATHERINE CLEGG [#194060], 63, of Hanford was disbarred Oct. 15, 2010, and she 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 Clegg committed 28 counts of misconduct in seven matters. In all four matters, she failed to perform legal services competently, communicate with her clients, return unearned fees, cooperate with the bar’s investigation or comply with court orders. In three cases, she abandoned her clients. Three had to hire other attorneys and another substituted in to represent herself.“Due to the nature and extent of this misconduct, the court finds that (Cleggs’) disregard of her clients’ interests is habitual,†wrote Judge Pat McElroy.In one matter, for example, a client paid Clegg $2,500 to represent her in a divorce proceeding. Although she filed a petition for dissolution and some declarations, she did not serve the client’s husband or otherwise pursue the case and the client hired a new lawyer. Clegg moved without telling the lawyer or notifying the court, and she did not refund the unearned fee.She represented another client whose divorce was already filed and requested a continuance of the trial. Although she met with the client to sign a fee agreement, she did no further work and was fired five days before the trial was scheduled to begin. Clegg did not respond to the client’s many phone calls or refund her advance fee.She violated court orders by not appearing at hearings, she did not account for one client’s funds, and another client’s dissolution was delayed and he had to appear at a hearing without a lawyer. |