William John Salica

William John Salica was admitted to the California Bar 30th May 1980, but has since been disbarred. William graduated from St John's University SOL.

Lawyer Information

Name	William John Salica
First Admitted	30 May 1980 (43 years, 11 months ago)
Status	Disbarred
Bar Number	92896

Contact

Phone Number	818-456-2736

Schools

Law School	St John's University SOL (NY)
Undergraduate School	Suffolk University (Boston MA)

Address

Current Address	3450 Hualapai 2127 Las Vegas, NV 89129
Map

History

20 November 2010	Disbarred (13 years, 5 months ago) Disbarment 02-O-13095
4 June 2010	Not eligible to practice law in CA (13 years, 10 months ago) Ordered inactive 02-O-13095
26 February 2008	Not eligible to practice law in CA (16 years, 2 months ago) Ordered inactive 02-O-13095
4 April 2004	Not eligible to practice law in CA (20 years ago) Ordered inactive 03-N-03692
16 September 2003	Not eligible to practice law in CA (20 years, 7 months ago) Suspended, failed to pay fees
1 August 2003	Not eligible to practice law in CA (20 years, 9 months ago) Discipline w/actual suspension 99-O-12420
7 October 2002	Active (21 years, 6 months ago)
4 September 2002	Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 01-O-05042 (21 years, 7 months ago)
3 September 2002	Not eligible to practice law in CA (21 years, 8 months ago) Admin Inactive/MCLE noncompliance
8 February 2002	Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 00-O-13022 (22 years, 2 months ago)
11 December 2001	Active (22 years, 4 months ago)
6 December 2001	Not eligible to practice law in CA (22 years, 4 months ago) Ordered inactive 99-O-12420
7 August 2001	Active (22 years, 8 months ago)
22 July 2001	Not eligible to practice law in CA (22 years, 9 months ago) Ordered inactive 99-O-12420
12 April 2001	Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 99-O-12420 (23 years ago)
21 October 1999	Active (24 years, 6 months ago)
27 September 1999	Not eligible to practice law in CA (24 years, 7 months ago) Suspended, failed to pay fees
30 May 1980	Admitted to the State Bar of California (43 years, 11 months ago)

Discipline Summaries

November 20, 2010

WILLIAM JOHN SALICA [#92896], 64, of Las Vegas was disbarred Nov. 20, 2010, and was ordered to make restitution and comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court.

Salica was terminated from the Alternative Discipline Program for lawyers with substance abuse or mental health issues. He stipulated to numerous counts of misconduct in five consolidated matters, including moral turpitude, charging an illegal fee and practicing while not entitled, as well as failures to perform legal services competently, refund unearned fees, comply with a court order, promptly pay client funds, release client files, respond to client inquiries or take steps to protect clientsâ€™ interests.

Salicaâ€™s misconduct, said State Bar Court Judge Richard Honn, evidences multiple acts of wrongdoing . . . trust property or funds were involved . . . and (he) was unable to account to the client or person who was the object of the misconduct for improper conduct toward the property or funds.â€

Salica also was disciplined in 2003 after stipulating to 23 counts of misconduct in six consolidated matters, ranging from commingling funds to failing to obey court orders.

August 1, 2003

WILLIAM JOHN SALICA [#92896], 57, of Studio City was suspended for two years, stayed, placed on three years of probation with an actual six-month suspension and was ordered to make restitution, take the MPRE and comply with rule 955. If the actual suspension exceeds two years, he must prove his rehabilitation. The order took effect Aug. 1, 2003.

Salica stipulated to 23 counts of misconduct in six consolidated matters, ranging from commingling funds to failing to obey court orders.

In one matter, a property dispute related to the use of an easement on his clients' property, Salica advised the clients to stop making payments on their second mortgage and instead send the payments to him to hold. He never obtained the consent of the defendants' lawyer to withhold the payments.

After filing a lawsuit and receiving the defendants' answers, Salica did not inform the defendants about a status conference, and they did not appear. Another attorney appeared for Salica.

The court scheduled another conference and a hearing to show cause why Salica should not be sanctioned for failing to notify defendants' counsel about the first hearing. He gave them notice of the status conference but not of the OSC hearing.

Neither Salica nor his clients appeared at the status conference; Salica was sanctioned $990, which he never paid.

The clients' property was scheduled to be sold at a trust sale, so they paid Salica $1,500 to obtain a restraining order halting the sale. His application was denied.

The case was set for trial, but Salica never notified the clients about a request for production of documents and never told them a deposition was scheduled.

The case was eventually dismissed. When Salica informed his clients, they asked that he try to have the dismissal set aside, but he never filed the proper motion. However, he later appealed, without his clients' knowledge or consent. The court dismissed the appeal and advised Salica that any request for rehearing must be filed within 15 days. Twenty-three days later, he told his clients they should file an appeal immediately, and said he needed $3,500 to do so. He did not tell them he had already appealed and that the appeal had been dismissed. He filed a motion to vacate dismissal, which was granted.

In the meantime, Salica's clients were ordered to pay more than $10,000 to one defendant and $212 to another.

As a result of his misconduct, his clients incurred unnecessary costs of more than $36,000.

He stipulated that he failed to perform legal services competently, respond to client inquiries, deposit client funds in a trust account or cooperate with the bar's investigation, and he also committed an act of moral turpitude and commingled funds.

In another matter, Salica was hired to register a federal trademark and to incorporate a company in Nevada. The client paid him $5,000. He incorporated the company but never trademarked his client's name.

He did not respond to his clients' many requests for information, and when they hired a new lawyer, he did not provide their file or refund the unearned portion of their fee.

The clients sued him for negligence, but Salica never paid sanctions ordered when he failed to comply with discovery requests.

Seven months after the clients fired him, Salica's secretary paid $75 to the Nevada Secretary of State to reserve the corporate name of his client, thus precluding her from suing him.

William Salica