News Releases

State Bar Announces Additional Investigation into Handling of Past Complaints Against Thomas Girardi

The State Bar of California's Board of Trustees announced today that it has been conducting an additional investigation into whether the State Bar's handling of past discipline complaints against former licensee Thomas V. Girardi was affected by Girardi’s connections to or influence at the State Bar. The investigation is intended to identify actions by anyone with ties to the State Bar that may constitute malfeasance in how discipline complaints against Girardi were handled.  

“The State Bar Board leadership and staff take very seriously the immense harm done by Thomas Girardi to innocent victims,” said Ruben Duran, Board Chair. “We have been proactively doing everything in our power to learn from the past and do better in the future to prevent harms like this from recurring. This necessarily includes assessing whether intentional wrongdoing by anyone associated with the State Bar may have influenced how complaints against Girardi were handled. Details of the investigation, including details of past closed complaints and investigations, must remain confidential to comply with the law and to give this investigation the greatest chance of success. Mark our words: we will go wherever the evidence leads us."

The State Bar has retained the law firm of Halpern May Ybarra Gelberg LLP to conduct the investigation. 

Today’s news follows the State Bar Court of California issuing on January 10 its decision and order recommending that the California Supreme Court disbar Girardi. Girardi was charged with numerous violations of the State Bar Act and Rules of Professional Conduct in three separate matters, including several acts of moral turpitude. He did not file a response to the notice of disciplinary charges (NDC), and his default was entered on August 6, 2021.   

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The State Bar of California's mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.