LOS ANGELES — The State Bar Court of California suspended attorney Jeffrey Thomas Bolson.
The Covina attorney was suspended because he failed to comply with his probation requirements from a previous transgression, court documents say. He served a 30-day suspension that ended Dec. 18, 2016 It is to be followed by one year of probation and faces a yearlong suspension if he fails to comply with the conditions of his discipline.
According to court documents, Bolson told the State Bar that he had completed the Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) hours outlined in his probation. The attorney said he had taken the course hours between February 2010 and January 2013. However, the State Bar’s investigation into his compliance determined that 31 of his hours had been completed prior to the compliance period.
Bolson said that he had moved offices and misplaced the paperwork that detailed the time frame in which the hours were taken.
Bolson signed a stipulation of facts and agreement in lieu of discipline (ALD) on Nov. 17, 2014. The documents state that he acknowledged his negligence in the matter and his violation of Business and Professions Code 6106.
The agreement with the State Bar included promises to the Office of Probation within 30 days of the ALD’s effective date of Dec. 17, 2014. Bolson was also required to submit quarterly reports to the office for one year. In addition, the attorney needed to complete and pass ethics school and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE).
Bolson was required to contact the Office of Probation by Jan. 16, 2015, but he did not send in the proper correspondence. A notice of his failure to comply was both mailed and emailed to the attorney in June 2015.
In October 2015, the attorney met with his probation officer and filed three quarterly reports, all of which were late. The report for Oct. 10, 2015, was rejected by the Office of Probation due to unclear reporting. In January, Bolson provided proof of completion of ethics school.
Several mitigating factors went into the State Bar Court’s decision to suspend Bolson for 30 days. The court documents state that Bolson’s ADL had shown an acceptance of responsibility and in turn saved the court time and resources.
Bolson also has no prior record of discipline since being admitted to the California State Bar in 1981. In addition, Bolson provided seven witnesses to attest to his good character, although the court did not find there to be enough variety in the caliber of witness. All were either lawyers or connected to Bolson through law, therefore only “minimal mitigation” was granted.