Gardena, CA 90248
12 September 2006 | Active (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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14 July 2006 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (18 years, 5 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 00-O-15606 |
14 November 2002 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 00-O-15606 (22 years, 1 month ago) |
30 May 1980 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (44 years, 6 months ago) |
July 14, 2006 JACLYN SHANDLER [#92480], 56, of Los Angeles was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on two years of probation with a 60-day actual suspension and was ordered to take the MPRE within one year. The order took effect July 14, 2006. The review department reduced the level of discipline recommended by a hearing judge as a result of Shandler's actions in two cases.In a personal injury case, Shandler never met or spoke to her client, instead relying on an employee. She asked another lawyer, to whom she sometimes referred cases, to draft the complaint and later to try to settle the case.After learning that the client had not agreed to split the fee and that no notice of association had been filed with the court, the other lawyer returned the client's file to Shandler. She did not appear at two hearings and the case was dismissed. When the client's father learned about the dismissal and confronted Shandler, she said the case had been "closed" and asked for $250 to reopen it. She never moved to set aside the dismissal.The review department found that Shandler failed to return her client's phone calls or keep her informed of developments in her case, failed to perform legal services competently, disobeyed court orders and committed acts of moral turpitude by making misrepresentations and trying to collect an additional fee.In a second personal injury case, Shandler filed a complaint in June 2001. In September, Shandler's husband, also a lawyer who helped in her office, told the client she no longer handled personal injury matters and would return his file. The review department found that Shandler did no work on the case in the intervening months. After October, however, she continued to represent the client to "keep the case alive" before withdrawing a year later.The client settled the case with his daughter's help. The daughter complained it took a long time because Shandler asserted a lien for attorney's fees and costs.The review department agreed with a hearing judge's finding that Shandler failed to perform legal services competently or keep a client reasonably informed of developments in her case. |