Howard Curtis Crane was admitted to the California Bar 15th September 1977, but has since been disbarred. Howard graduated from San Fernando Valley College of Law.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Howard Curtis Crane |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 15 September 1977 (47 years, 9 months ago) |
| Status | Disbarred |
| Bar Number | 75385 |
Contact
| Phone Number | (310) 301-3373 |
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Schools
| Law School | San Fernando Valley College of Law (Woodland Hills CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | California St University Northridge (CA) |
Address
| Current Address | PO Box 252056 Los Angeles, CA 90025 |
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| Map |
History
| 17 December 2010 | Disbarred (14 years, 6 months ago) |
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| 12 February 2010 | Not Eligible To Practice Law in CA (15 years, 4 months ago) |
| 15 September 1977 | Admitted to The State Bar of California (47 years, 9 months ago) |
Discipline Summaries
December 17, 2010 HOWARD CURTIS CRANE [#75385], 60, of Los Angeles was disbarred Dec. 17, 2010, and was ordered to make restitution and comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court. In a default proceeding, the State Bar Court found that Crane committed 21 acts of professional misconduct, including misappropriating more than $17,500 in client funds.In one matter, Crane represented two women in a personal injury case that he settled for $21,016. Without disbursing any funds to the clients or their doctors, he allowed the balance in his client trust account to fall to negative $478.93. The bar court found he misappropriated $14,357 that should have been held in trust.He misappropriated another $3,150 from a chiropractor and another personal injury client. Crane had settled that case for $10,500 but allowed the balance in his trust account to fall below the required amount. He also misappropriated $1,688.55 from another chiropractor.Crane represented a client in a medical malpractice case, but when the client did not show up for a medical exam, she and Crane were sanctioned $1,662.50. He did not inform the client, nor did he pay the sanctions.Crane failed to appear for a trial readiness hearing after he filed a lawsuit for personal injury and property damage claims by another client. The court scheduled an order to show cause hearing, but Crane didn’t appear for that or a subsequent hearing and was sanctioned $1,700. He didn’t pay the sanctions or report them to the State Bar, as required.In addition to the misappropriation, the bar court found that Crane failed to communicate with clients, perform legal services competently, release a client file, report sanctions to the bar, obey a court order or cooperate with the bar’s investigation, and he misused his client trust account.In mitigation, he practiced for 26 years without a discipline record. |