LOS ANGELES — Christopher John Van Son, an Oak View attorney, was recently disbarred from the practice of law by the State Bar Court of California.
The court handed down its decision Feb. 4 after finding that the attorney allegedly failed to comply with stipulations from a previous disciplinary order, resulting in a recommendation for disbarment.
According to court documents, Van Son was initially suspended Jan. 28, 2016, for misconduct in nine client matters, including collecting advanced fees for loan modification service, soliciting clients he had no prior relationship with, sending solicitation letters in South Carolina, where he was not licensed to practice, failing to inform his clients of his previous ineligibility to practice law and failing to return his unearned fees at the time.
The 2016 decision required Van Son to again adhere to the California Rules of Court Rule 9.20 subsections (a) and (c), which outline the notification procedure for clients and opposing counsel when suspension or disbarment is enacted.
Additionally, Van Son was ordered to complete six hours of minimum continuing legal education hours or take ethics and trust accounting school. The suspension required the attorney to submit quarterly reports to the California State Bar’s Office of Probation after his initial meeting that needed to be held within 30 days of the suspension. Van Son allegedly failed to meet any of those conditions.
The attorney responded to the notice of disciplinary charges and denied any wrongdoing. A trial was held in July 2016 in which Van Son represented himself. The findings of facts in the proceedings provided the state bar court with sufficient evidence of his culpability in the misconduct charges, and disbarment was recommended and handed down, the court said.
Van Son was admitted to the California State Bar in 1988. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond TC Williams School of Law in Virginia and ran his own practice specializing in loan modification matters. The attorney was also suspended in 2012.