Thomas Lewis Shelton was admitted to the California Bar 4th December 2000, but has since been disbarred. Thomas graduated from UC Berkeley SOL Boalt Hall.

Lawyer Information

NameThomas Lewis Shelton
First Admitted4 December 2000 (23 years, 4 months ago)
StatusDisbarred
Bar Number209198

Contact

Current Email[email protected]
Phone Number(415) 349-8105
Fax Number(415) 349-8119

Schools

Law SchoolUC Berkeley SOL Boalt Hall (Berkeley CA)
Undergraduate SchoolUniversity of California Berkeley (Berkeley CA)

Address

Current Address3931 Alemany Blvd Ste 2002-282
San Francisco, CA 94132
Map

History

14 September 2011Disbarred (12 years, 6 months ago)
25 December 2010Not Eligible To Practice Law in CA (13 years, 3 months ago)
4 December 2000Admitted to The State Bar of California (23 years, 4 months ago)

Discipline Summaries

September 14, 2011

THOMAS LEWIS SHELTON [#209198], 62, of San Francisco was disbarred Sept. 14, 2011, and 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 Shelton committed five acts of misconduct in a matter involving an estate. His client administered the estate, and together they sold a piece of property in Los Angeles. Shelton collected a $112,341 fee from the proceeds without first obtaining the approval of the court or the other beneficiaries of the estate. He therefore charged an illegal fee. The fee also was far in excess of the statutory limit.

In addition, at the time the property was sold, Shelton erroneously advised the client that Shelton could collect funds out of the escrow for his attorney fees and the client could collect $56,887.28 from the escrow for himself. As a result, Shelton and the client signed escrow instructions that paid the client $56,877.28 in estate funds. The court later ordered him to return the funds to the estate. Shelton’s advice was not only erroneous, but self-interested, because it resulted in him receiving $112,341.30.

The court found that he took the fee without authorization and ordered him to submit a petition deeming the fees were contingency. He never did so.

The bar court found that he failed to perform legal services competently, collected an illegal fee, violated a court order, committed acts of moral turpitude and failed to participate in the bar’s investigation.

In recommending Shelton’s disbarment, Judge Lucy Armendariz wrote, “The serious and unexplained nature of the misconduct, the lack of participation in these proceedings as well as the self-interest underlying (Shelton’s) actions suggest that he is capable of future wrongdoing and raise concerns about his ability or willingness to comply with his ethical responsibilities to the public and to the State Bar.”