The State Bar of California announced the seizure of the unauthorized law practice of Gabriel Luna de la Fuente of Chula Vista, after he took more than $4,000 from a client for immigration services for herself and her daughter—selecting and preparing her legal forms himself, directing her to deposit money directly into his bank account, and never disclosing that he was not and never has been a licensed attorney or supervised by one.
The State Bar of California announced today the seizure of the unauthorized law practice of John Minnella of Tustin, following an investigation sparked by a Mexican immigrant who paid Minnella thousands of dollars for immigration legal services that were never delivered.
The State Bar’s Office of Chief Trial Counsel announced today that it recently seized the illegal business operated by nonattorney John Pamintuan Alamarez Jr. of Artesia after evidence showed that he used his standing in the Filipino community to engage in long-standing unauthorized practice of law (UPL) as an employee of a licensed attorney.
The State Bar’s Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) team has begun notifying 400 California attorneys, randomly selected from a cross-section of the attorney population, that they will undergo a mandatory compliance review of their 2025 trust account recordkeeping.
The State Bar of California seized the illegal business of Irene Carlota Raygoza of Livermore after a couple filed a complaint that her mishandling of their immigration case left one of their sons at risk of having to leave the United States for up to 22 years, the Office of Chief Trial Counsel announced today.
The State Bar filed an amicus brief Friday, April 3, in support of four law firms targeted by the Trump Administration’s executive orders for the firms’ representation of clients unpopular with the administration. And on Monday, April 6, the State Bar’s Executive Director Laura Enderton-Speed and Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on a proposed DOJ rule change that would impact California’s ability to effectively protect the public in conducting discipline investigations of DOJ attorneys.
The State Bar of California launched its mandatory Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) compliance review today. Beginning September 29 through October 31, 2025, the State Bar will randomly select and notify 100 attorneys representing a cross-section of the attorney population to complete a CTAPP compliance review for reporting year 2024.
The California Supreme Court ordered Thursday that Los Angeles attorney Aaron Spolin (SBN 310379) be disbarred and his name stricken from the roll of attorneys, the Office of Chief Trial Counsel (OCTC) announced.
The State Bar of California’s Public Trust Liaison (El Intermediario de Confianza Pública) Enrique Zuniga announced the official launch of the Attorney-Client Bridge Program (ACBP), a program that has already proved popular with consumers and attorneys.
The State Bar of California is warning the public to beware of and report potential fraud in response to the fires in Southern California. For vulnerable fire victims who may need a wide range of legal advice, legal services fraud can be committed by nonattorneys, such as “notarios,” or by licensed lawyers.
