Francis Hotchkiss Lewis Jr was admitted to the California Bar 18th December 1974, but has since been disbarred. Francis graduated from U of San Francisco SOL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Francis Hotchkiss Lewis Jr |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 18 December 1974 (49 years, 4 months ago) |
| Status | Disbarred |
| Bar Number | 61894 |
Contact
| Phone Number | 415-585-8018 |
|---|
Schools
| Law School | U of San Francisco SOL (San Francisco CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | Stevens Inst of Tech (Hoboken NJ) |
Address
| Current Address | 80 Alta Vista Way Daly City, CA 94014 |
|---|---|
| Map |
History
| 14 February 2014 | Disbarred (10 years, 2 months ago) Disbarment 12-N-14546 |
|---|---|
| 1 September 2013 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (10 years, 8 months ago) Ordered inactive 12-N-14546 |
| 14 October 2012 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (11 years, 6 months ago) Ordered inactive 12-N-14546 |
| 17 August 2012 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 12-N-14546 (11 years, 8 months ago) |
| 3 July 2012 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (11 years, 10 months ago) Admin Inactive/MCLE noncompliance |
| 7 August 2011 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (12 years, 8 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 08-O-14364 |
| 18 December 1974 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (49 years, 4 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
February 14, 2014 FRANCIS HOTCHKISS LEWIS JR. [61894], 76, of Daly City was disbarred Feb. 14, 2014 and was ordered to comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. Lewis’ default was entered after he failed to respond to a notice of disciplinary charges alleging that he had violated rule 9.20, which he was required to comply with as the result of a 2011 disciplinary order. Because he did not seek to have the default set aside within 180 days, as required under rule 5.85 of the California Rules of Procedure, the default was set aside and the charges against him were deemed admitted.Lewis had one prior record of discipline, a 2011 suspension for accepting representation of clients when the interests of the clients potentially conflicted and without the clients’ informed written consent, committing an act of moral turpitude with gross negligence by misappropriating client funds and failing to render appropriate accounts to a client, promptly pay or deliver client funds or maintain client funds in his client trust account.August 7, 2011 FRANCIS HOTCHKISS LEWIS JR. [#61894], 74, of Daly City was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on two years of probation with a nine-month actual suspension and until he makes restitution and he was ordered to take the MPRE and comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. If the actual suspension exceeds two years, he must prove his rehabilitation. The order took effect Aug. 7, 2011. The State Bar Court found that Lewis committed six acts of misconduct while representing a group of three tenants. As a condition of the settlement reached with the landlord, the tenants agreed to vacate the premises in exchange for payment of $265,000 in two installments. The tenants believed they all were entitled to a different percentage of the money, but Lewis did not advise them of any potential conflict of interest.He allowed the balance in his client trust account to fall below the required amount and he didn’t pay any tenants the true amounts they were owed.The bar court found that Lewis represented clients with potentially adverse interests, failed to maintain client funds in trust, account for or pay those funds promptly, and he misappropriated at least $7,687.84 from his clients, committing acts of moral turpitude.In mitigation, he practiced for 33 years without any discipline, but the court found that he “refused to recognize his fiduciary duty to avoid adverse interest in his representation of multiple clients and to settle disputes over client funds before unilaterally deciding to pay himself from the settlement funds.†|