Ramon Mendez Gonzalez was admitted to the California Bar 2nd December 2002, but has since been disbarred. Ramon graduated from Stanford University Law School.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Ramon Mendez Gonzalez |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 2 December 2002 (22 years, 6 months ago) |
| Status | Disbarred |
| Bar Number | 220891 |
Contact
| Current Email | [email protected] |
|---|---|
| Phone Number | 310-592-0245 |
| Fax Number | 323-421-9381 |
Schools
| Law School | Stanford University Law School (Stanford CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | University of California Irvine (Irvine CA) |
Address
| Current Address | The Gonzalez Law Firm, PC, 1601 N Gower St Ste 203 Hollywood, CA 90028 |
|---|---|
| Map |
History
| 16 March 2013 | Disbarred (12 years, 3 months ago) Disbarment 10-O-07678 |
|---|---|
| 15 October 2012 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (12 years, 8 months ago) Suspended, failed to pass Prof.Resp.Exam 09-O-10830 |
| 7 October 2012 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (12 years, 8 months ago) Ordered inactive 10-O-07678 |
| 25 December 2011 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years, 5 months ago) Ordered inactive 10-O-07678 |
| 26 September 2011 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 10-O-07678 (13 years, 8 months ago) |
| 9 September 2011 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years, 9 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 09-O-10830 |
| 2 December 2002 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (22 years, 6 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
March 16, 2013 RAMON MENDEZ GONZALEZ [#220891], 44, of Hollywood, was disbarred March 16, 2013, and was ordered to make restitution and comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. Gonzalez’s default was entered after he failed to respond to the notice of disciplinary charges against him. Under rule 5.85 of the bar’s Rules of Procedure attorneys can be disbarred when they fail to have a default set aside with 180 days. The charges are also deemed admitted.Gonzales committed 47 acts of misconduct stemming from 12 different matters. They include: closing his law office without notice and abandoning his client, failing to perform legal services with competence, failing to return unearned fees and failing to respond to clients’ inquiries about the status of their cases.Gonzalez was ordered to pay $48,770 in restitution, plus interest, to his former clients.September 9, 2011 RAMON MENDEZ GONZALEZ, 43, of Hollywood was suspended for one year, stayed, placed on one year of probation with a six-month actual suspension and ordered to take the MPRE within one year and comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. The order took effect Sept. 9, 2011. Gonzalez stipulated to numerous acts of misconduct in 12 matters involving failures to negotiate a loan modification and to sue his clients’ lenders for predatory lending. In 2008, Gonzalez became in-house counsel for Pope & Associates (P&A), a loan modification company owned by Paul Pope, a non-attorney. Gonzalez allowed the non-attorney staff of P&A to negotiate loan modifications and to provide legal advice without his supervision. In addition, his employment agreement with his clients required them to waive his liability, limiting the clients’ ability to sue him for malpractice. Such provisions are illegal.Gonzalez admitted he improperly solicited prospective clients, did not account for or refund advance fees, split fees with non-lawyers, represented clients in states where he was not admitted, and he did not obtain any loan modifications for the clients in question. His actions also enabled P&A to evade portions of California civil law governing advance fee agreements approved by the Department of Real Estate. When the department investigated allegations that P&A accepted advance fees for negotiating real estate loan modifications without the required prior DRE approval, Gonzalez asserted attorney-client privilege, thus representing clients with potentially conflicting interests.In mitigation, Gonzalez practiced for nine years without any discipline, he cooperated with the bar’s investigation, demonstrated remorse, had emotional difficulties and he helped law enforcement when he learned of Pope’s alleged illegal activities. He was ordered to make restitution totaling $33,575 to eight clients.Gonzalez faces 49 counts of professional misconduct filed in September 2011 and because he did not respond to the charges, State Bar Court placed him on involuntary inactive status. He also defaulted on charges that he violated probation conditions. |