Los Angeles, CA 90062-1141
1 July 2008 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (16 years, 10 months ago) Suspended, failed to pay fees |
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1 July 2008 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (16 years, 10 months ago) Admin Inactive/MCLE noncompliance |
13 September 1997 | Discipline, probation; no actual susp. 95-O-15152 (27 years, 7 months ago) |
4 April 1996 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 95-O-15152 (29 years, 1 month ago) |
9 January 1969 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (56 years, 4 months ago) |
September 13, 1997 HAROLD PETER YOUNG [#43805], 54, of Los Angeles was suspended for one year, stayed, placed on probation for one year and was ordered to take the MPRE within a year. The order took effect Sept. 13, 1997. Young was found guilty of contempt of court by the Supreme Court after he requested 20 time extensions to file an opening brief in a death penalty appeal case. About a year after his 1986 appointment to represent a Death Row inmate, Young filed a motion for augmentation of the 18,000-page record with the expectation that the record augmentation and briefing would be completed in 1988. The record was not certified until 1993, more than five years after Young’s motion was filed. As a result, Young sought and was granted numerous extensions to file an opening brief. Once the record was certified, Young sought additional extensions because the record now amounted to 25,000 pages. He also was in poor health and lacked funds to hire a lawyer, secretary or paralegal to assist him. In July 1994, the court denied Young’s motion for compensation for the 335 hours he spent re-reading the record. In November, the court ordered him to file an opening brief by Dec. 5. He did not do so, instead requesting another extension. In January 1995, the court issued a notice to show cause why Young should not be held in contempt and ordered him to file an opening brief by March 1, 1995. The court ultimately found that Young violated two orders, held him in contempt and sentenced him to five days in the Los Angeles County jail. He stipulated that he failed to perform legal services competently and disobeyed the court’s orders. In mitigation, Young suffers from a chronic lung disease and was seriously ill during part of the time in question. He is a sole practitioner and did not have the financial resources to handle a death penalty appeal. He did not try to withdraw from the case because he believed he could not find an attorney willing to replace him, as required by court rule. |