Carlo Reyes

October 16, 2014

CARLO OCAMPO REYES [#226150], 40, of West Hills, was suspended from the practice of law for 90 days and ordered to take the MPRE and comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. He was also placed on two years’ probation and faces a one-year suspension if he does not comply with the terms of his disciplinary probation. The order took effect Oct. 16, 2014. Reyes stipulated to misconduct in three matters: willfully disobeying a court order, not reporting sanctions to the State Bar, failing to perform legal services with competence and commingling personal funds in his client trust account. In one of the matters, Reyes failed to appear on behalf of a client for a family resolution conference in December 2012, leading the court to issue an order to show cause as to why he should not be sanctioned. When he did not show up at a subsequent hearing, the court imposed $250 in sanctions and issued another order to show cause. Reyes sent another attorney to that hearing to appear on his behalf, leading the judge to issue sanctions totaling $1,000. He did not report those sanctions to the State Bar until after a disciplinary investigation was underway. In addition, Reyes failed to transfer $700 to the plaintiff in another case, leading a judge to issue a default judgment against his client in the amount of $22,475. Reyes unsuccessfully tried to get the default set aside. The client hired another attorney, who fixed the problem, and Reyes refunded the $700. Between January and October 2013, Reyes did not promptly remove funds he had earned as fees from his client trust account. In May of that year, he wrote a check in the amount of $1,535 from the account to pay a nonclient business expense, his office rent. In mitigation, Reyes entered into a prefiling stipulation with the State Bar. He has one prior record of discipline, a 2013 private reproval for failure to perform legal services with competence.