I am a reinstated lawyer who has practiced in the niche of professional responsibility and attorney ethics since 2008. Now I am an experienced California ethics attorney, based in Northern California and servicing the entire State of California. My own successful navigation through the State Bar discipline system gives me a perspective that is unique among my colleagues in my field – yours.
Bar Admissions
State of California, 1991
U.S District Court, Northern District of California
U.S District Court, Eastern District of California
U.S District Court, Central District of California
U.S District Court, Southern District of California
Education
University of San Francisco School of Law, San Francisco, California
J.D. – 1990
Law Review: University of San Francisco School of Law Review, 1988
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
B.A. – 1987
Published Works
Threats of a Malpractice Claim, The Family Law Counselor, Issue 291 (Sacramento County Bar Assn. Family Law Section, September, 2018)
Clients Get Notice. Period., Daily Journal (Daily Journal Corporation, September 5, 2018)
Fingerprinting, The Family Law Counselor, Issue 290 (Sacramento County Bar Assn. Family Law Section, September, 2018)
Attorneys as Private Mediators, The Family Law Counselor, Issue 289 (Sacramento County Bar Assn. Family Law Section, June, 2018)
Bar Switches Up Theories in Fee Dispute Case, Daily Journal (Daily Journal Corporation, April 22, 2016)
From Disbarment to Reinstatement: A Lawyer’s Long Road to Recovery, The Trial Lawyer (San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Summer 2010)
Press and Publications by Others
Stacey A. Tovino, The House Edge: On Gambling and Professional Discipline (91 Washington Law Review 1253, October 2016)
Amy Impellizzeri, Lawyer Interrupted, ABA Publishing (American Bar Association, 2015)
Erin Coe, Calif. Bar’s New Rules Revamp Roadmap On Atty Discipline, Law360.com (LexisNexis, May 12, 2015)
G.M Filisko, The Rough Road to Redemption, ABA Journal (American Bar Association, August 2013)
Classes and Seminars:
2018 MCLE Panels
November 28, 2018, Don Edwards Inns of Court, New Rules of Professional Conduct
November 16, 2018, County Counsel’s Association of California, Attorney Competence and Substance Abuse Detection and Prevention
November 6, 2018, Sacramento County Bar Association, Family Law Section, Overview of the California Discipline System
October 27, 2018, The Other Bar, Men’s Retreat, New Rules of Professional Conduct
October 24, 2018, Alameda County Bar Association, Bankruptcy Law Section, New Rules of Professional Conduct
July 13, 2018, LA&K 2018 Attorney Retreat / The Other Bar, Ethics and Elimination of Bias
May 3, 2018, Sacramento County Bar Association, Breakfast Forum, Substance Abuse Issues in the California State Bar Discipline System
April 14, 2018, The Other Bar, Spring Networking, Overview of the Attorney Discipline System
January 12, 2018, The Other Bar, Overview of the Attorney Discipline System
2017 MCLE Panels
Lake County Bar Association, Attorney Competence CLE Presentation
The Judges of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California and the Bench Bar Liaison Committee for the Northern District of California Bankruptcy Court, 2017 Bay Area Bankruptcy Judges’ Conference: “Program #1: An Ethical Good-Bye”
Congressman Don Edwards Inn of Court Group, Attorney Competence
2016 MCLE Panels
Santa Clara County Bar Association Women Lawyers’ Section, Annual 3 in 1: Elimination of Bias, Legal Ethics, and Competence Issues
Bay Area Traffic Ticket Defender’s Association (BATTDA), Ethics MCLE Presentation
Lake County Bar Association, Attorney Competence & Elimination of Bias MCLE Presentations
Marin County Bar Association, Employment Law Section, Ethics MCLE Presentation
San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Starting Your Own Law Firm
Alameda County Bar Association, Ethics Discipline, and Substance Abuse in Bankruptcy Cases
2015 MCLE Panels
Sonoma County Bar Association, MCLE Splash (Competence & Elimination of Bias) (November)
Sonoma County Bar Association, MCLE Splash (Competence & Elimination of Bias) (January)
San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Ethics & Conflicts Roundtable
Kenneth P. Roye, 2015 Annual Wildland Fire Litigation Conference
DRI, 2014 DRI Annual Meeting
2014 MCLE Panels
Contra Costa County Bar Association – Family Law Section, Getting Out: Out of the Case, Out of Practice, Out of Dodge
Lex Romana, Substance Abuse MCLE
Contra Costa County Bar Association, What the State Bar Might Think About BYOD, ESI
2013 MCLE Panels
Congressman Don Edwards Bankruptcy Inn of Court, Prevention, Detection and Treatment of Substance Abuse/Mental Illness that Impairs Professional Competence
Santa Clara County Bar Association, Annual 3 in 1: Legal Ethics, Substance Abuse & Elimination of Bias
2012 MCLE Panels
ALM Media, 2012 General Counsel West Coast Conference
State Bar of California, Annual Meeting: Hot Topics in Ethics
Lex Romana, Substance Abuse MCLE
2011 MCLE Panels
Congressman Don Edwards Bankruptcy Inn of Court, Substance Abuse and the Ethics Issues it Creates
State Bar of California, Annual Meeting: How Lawyers Get in Trouble
Orange County Bar Association, Orange County Bar Association #75
University of San Francisco, The Winning Argument Against Substance Abuse
Orange County Bar Association, Loan Modifications
Professional Associations and Memberships
Certified Specialist in Legal Malpractice Law, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
Association of Discipline Defense Counsel, Member, 2009 – Present
(President, 2015 & 2016)
Marin County Bar Association, Member, 2015 — Present
Sonoma County Bar Association, Member, 2015 – Present
Alameda County Bar Association, Member, 2012 – Present
Alameda-Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association, Member, 2012 – Present
San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Member, 2010 – Present
Contra Costa County Bar Association, Member, 2009 – Present
Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, Member, 2009 – Present
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Member, 2016 – Present
Italian-American Bar Association Northern California, Member, 2016 – Present