Richard Stevens was admitted to the California Bar 3rd April 1981, but has since been disbarred. Richard graduated from Southwestern University SOL.
Lawyer Information
| Name | Richard Stevens |
|---|---|
| First Admitted | 3 April 1981 (44 years, 1 month ago) |
| Status | Disbarred |
| Bar Number | 97167 |
Contact
| Phone Number | 619-227-0870 |
|---|
Schools
| Law School | Southwestern University SOL (Los Angeles CA) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate School | SUNY (NY) |
Address
| Current Address | 221 W 82nd St New York, NY 10024 |
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| Map |
History
| 27 May 2005 | Disbarred (19 years, 11 months ago) Disbarment 02-J-13803 |
|---|---|
| 28 October 2004 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (20 years, 6 months ago) Ordered inactive 02-J-13803 |
| 6 August 2004 | Not eligible to practice law in CA (20 years, 9 months ago) Ordered inactive 02-J-13803 |
| 30 January 2004 | Disciplinary charges filed in State Bar Court 02-J-13803 (21 years, 3 months ago) |
| 26 February 2002 | Active (23 years, 2 months ago) |
| 1 January 1990 | Inactive (35 years, 4 months ago) |
| 8 September 1989 | Active (35 years, 8 months ago) |
| 1 January 1989 | Inactive (36 years, 4 months ago) |
| 3 April 1981 | Admitted to the State Bar of California (44 years, 1 month ago) |
Discipline Summaries
May 27, 2005 RICHARD STEVENS [#97167], 50, of New York City was disbarred May 27, 2005, and was ordered to comply with rule 955 of the California Rules of Court. Stevens was disbarred in New York in 2002 for intentional misappropriation and was ordered to make restitution of $115,000. The State Bar Court determined in a default proceeding that Stevens’ misconduct in New York warranted discipline in California.The misconduct stemmed from Stevens’ representation of a client who appealed an adverse civil judgment. She paid him $92,000 in legal fees but there was no written retainer agreement and Stevens did not provide written bills.The client also gave him $115,000 as collateral for an appeal bond to be paid in the event she lost the appeal. Over the course of a year, Stevens depleted the client’s funds from the escrow account.The client lost the appeal and was ordered to pay $95,000 in attorneys’ fees plus interest and costs. The bonding company sought recovery from Stevens, who explained he had taken the $115,000 as his legal fee and advised the company to seek recovery from his client. She ultimately had to repay the bonding company.A special referee in New York found that Stevens withdrew the client’s funds surreptitiously and without authority, falsely claimed he had the client’s consent to remove funds and enriched himself at his client’s expense. The referee found he violated seven ethics rules.The California State Bar Court found that Stevens’ misconduct would have violated four rules in this state: maintaining client funds in trust, commingling, misappropriation and misrepresentation. The last two constitute moral turpitude.In mitigation, Stevens practiced for 16 years without any discipline. |