Los Angeles, CA 90004
15 November 1997 | Resigned (27 years, 7 months ago) Resignation with charges pending 97-Q-15918 |
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10 September 1997 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (27 years, 9 months ago) Vol.inactive(tender of resign.w/charges) 97-Q-15918 |
13 September 1996 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (28 years, 9 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 90-O-17703 |
1 April 1992 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 90-O-17703 (33 years, 2 months ago) |
18 December 1975 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (49 years, 6 months ago) |
September 13, 1996 RONALD WAYNE SAMPSON [#67398], 58, of Beverly Hills was suspended for three years, stayed, and placed on three years of probation with an 18-month actual suspension and until he pays more than $25,000 in restitution. If the actual suspension exceeds two years, he must prove his rehabilitation. He also was ordered to take the MPRE and comply with rule 955. The order took effect Sept. 13, 1996. The review department reduced the discipline recommended in this case by the hearing judge because of the level of discipline imposed in similar cases.Sampson did not adequately supervise personal injury cases and disregarded his trust account obligations for almost one year. Although he did not intentionally misappropriate funds, he failed to retain in trust more than $34,000 in settlement funds.In addition, he failed to provide competent legal services and did not promptly notify a client of the receipt of a $2,500 settlement. In aggravation, he committed multiple acts of wrongdoing and significantly harmed a medical provider.In mitigation, he had no discipline record in more than 20 years of practice.In late 1990, 14 clients hired Sampson to represent them in personal injury cases. His employees signed 14 medical liens for him to pay a chiropractor for treatment of the clients.As the cases settled, however, Sampson did not pay the medical liens, which totaled nearly $30,000.Although he was building a personal injury practice, most of Sampson's work was in real estate practice and his paralegal handled much of the work associated with the PI cases. When she returned from three months out of the office, the paralegal found the PI practice in a shambles and it took nine months to get it organized. |