James Junkul Pak, a practicing attorney in Fullerton, was summarily disbarred by the State Bar Court of California on Dec. 29, 2016. The decision to disbar Pak was the result of his pleading guilty to grand theft of an employee in February 2016.
An Orange County Register article provides details of the criminal activity. The report alleges that Pak and Garden Grove car dealership owner Young Eui Hong understated the sales tax received by the dealership between the years 2009 and 2014. The two conspired to file $1.2 million dollars in fraudulent taxes, and each faces a 19-year prison sentence.
Pak was initially placed on interim suspension in May 2016. When it was determined that he would not appeal the conviction, the Office of the Chief Trial Counsel of the State Bar filed a motion recommending that the attorney be disbarred. The State Bar Court of California investigated the matter, and the factual findings indicated Pak's actions showed great moral turpitude as he knowingly engaged in felony criminal activity. The attorney was not granted a hearing.
Pak is required to notify all of his clients of the ruling, deliver any papers necessary to clients in regard to their cases, return any fees that remain unearned and alert opposing counsel in any pending litigation of his disbarment.
The attorney was admitted to the California State Bar in 1995 after completing his law degree at the Western State University College of Law. Pak had no disciplinary history prior to the initial suspension.
The California State Bar was established in 1927 by the state’s legislature and is governed by 19 trustees. The State Bar Court added appointed full-time judges in 1989. Court documents for all State Bar Court of California cases can be located online at calbar.ca.gov.