Lorraine Dickson was admitted to the California Bar 23rd November 2002, but has since been disbarred. Lorraine graduated from Pepperdine University SOL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Lorraine Dickson |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 23 November 2002 (22 years, 7 months ago) |
| Status | Disbarred |
| Bar Number | 220841 |
Contact
| Current Email | [email protected] |
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Schools
| Law School | Pepperdine University SOL (Malibu CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | Stanford University (Stanford CA) |
Address
| Current Address | 1800 N Bristol St Ste C-457 Santa Ana, CA 92706 |
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| Map |
History
| 18 March 2016 | Disbarred (9 years, 3 months ago) Disbarment 09-O-13345 |
|---|---|
| 1 November 2013 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (11 years, 7 months ago) Suspended, failed to pass Prof.Resp.Exam 09-O-12845 |
| 26 September 2013 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (11 years, 8 months ago) Ordered inactive 09-O-13345 |
| 21 February 2013 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 13-O-10280 (12 years, 3 months ago) |
| 30 July 2012 | Active (12 years, 10 months ago) |
| 25 March 2012 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years, 2 months ago) Ordered inactive 09-O-13345 |
| 30 December 2011 | Discipline, probation; no actual susp. 09-O-12845 (13 years, 5 months ago) |
| 15 November 2011 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 09-O-13345 (13 years, 7 months ago) |
| 6 January 2011 | Active (14 years, 5 months ago) |
| 18 December 2010 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (14 years, 6 months ago) Ordered inactive 09-O-12845 |
| 23 November 2002 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (22 years, 7 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
March 18, 2016 LORRAINE DICKSON [#220841], 42, of Santa Ana, was disbarred March 18, 2016 and ordered to comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court and make restitution. A State Bar Court hearing judge recommended Dickson be disbarred, finding her culpable of 44 counts of misconduct. Dickson appealed and a three-judge review panel dismissed many of the counts but still recommended she be stripped of her law license, finding her culpable of “21 counts of misconduct, which is serious in its breadth and reveals an ongoing disregard for the public, the courts, and the legal profession.â€In one matter she was disciplined for, Dickson prepared and filed a custody and support petition for a client but did not file it, then provided a number of excuses as to why she had not done so. When the petition turned out to be flawed, she agreed to revise it, but never did. Opting to proceed in pro per, the client asked for a refund and accounting, and Dickson claimed for the first time that her fee was $450 and that she had already earned more than she had been paid. She agreed to refund a $350 court filing fee, but never did and did not provide a copy of the revised petition.In another matter, she advised a client considering a medical malpractice claim to consult with a doctor for an expert opinion and collected $6,000 to secure the appointment. She did not put the money in her client trust account. After the client decided not to go the doctor, Dickson claimed she had applied the cash to her credit card balance, used the credit card to secure the appointment and could not get a refund. She later said the $6,000 applied to other legal work she claimed to have done for the client. The doctor later testified at trial that his office does not accept credit card payments and that he didn’t receive any payments from Dickson.In a third matter, Dickson agreed to create a nonprofit entity on behalf of a client and, although she did not provide a fee agreement, agreed to do all the work necessary for a $6,000 flat fee. While she prepared various documents, she did not do all of the work she had been paid to do and the organization did not become a tax-exempt entity. The client also had trouble contacting her, and she twice misled him, claiming she had done the work necessary to obtain tax-exempt status. She also never returned any funds to the client.In another matter, Dickson failed to perform on behalf of a client in a criminal matter. She also agreed to represent brothers who had been sued in a property dispute for a flat fee of $6,000, but claimed the money hadn’t been paid, and failed to perform in their matter, respond to status inquiries, communicate important developments in their case, obey several court orders or pay resulting sanctions. She also submitted two checks to the court written against insufficient funds.In addition, she failed to perform in a probate matter, and did not respond to status inquiries, return client papers or cooperate with a State Bar investigation. She also engaged in the unauthorized practice of law while on inactive status, sought to mislead a judge by filing a false declaration and failed to comply with conditions of her disciplinary probation.She had one prior record of discipline, a 2011 suspension for failing to perform legal services competently or respond to client inquiries.December 30, 2011 LORRAINE DICKSON [#220841], 38, of Beverly Hills was suspended for one year, stayed, placed on 18 months of probation and was ordered to take the MPRE within one year. The order took effect Dec. 30, 2011. The State Bar Court found that Dickson committed two acts of misconduct while representing a couple in a boundary dispute with their neighbors. After meeting with both sides and a surveyor, Dickson said she would file a lawsuit if the neighbors did not cooperate and accepted a $2,500 check that she said would be sufficient to prepare a cease-and-desist letter and to file suit if necessary. After sending the letter, she did no further work and stopped communicating with her clients.The bar court found that she failed to perform legal services competently or respond to client inquiries.In mitigation, Dickson suffered extreme emotional and physical difficulties during the time of the misconduct. |