LOS ANGELES — The State Bar Court of California recently suspended Al Fadel Amer, a Long Beach attorney, for allegedly failing to comply with the terms of a June 2016 suspension order.
According to the Nov. 21 decision, Amer was hired by a man to file a writ of habeas corpus for his son in June 2010. The financial obligation for such services was agreed upon by the client and Amer’s law firm for $20,000. A check of $10,000 was provided immediately and a payment plan for the remaining half was established. However, written consent from the client’s son was never provided.
Amer soon left the law group he was working for to start his own firm and took the client’s file with him. He informed the client that there was no reason to proceed with filing the writ and advised him to cease making monthly payments.
In total, Amer had received $!4,800 in fees, and the client requested his son’s client file and a refund for any funds that remained unearned. When an agreement was not reached, the client hired another attorney to obtain the funds.
A settlement arbitration hearing was set, the result of which was an order for Amer and his previous firm to each pay the client $2,500. The attorney failed to pay the funds and was subsequently placed on a 90-day suspension and a three-year probation. As part of the disciplinary order, Amer was required to adhere to several conditions or face further punishment. One of the conditions listed was to take and pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) by a certain date.
Amer failed to take the MPRE and was suspended until he can provide proof of passing the exam.
Amer operates his own practice in Los Angeles County. He is a graduate of the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and was admitted to the California State Bar in 1998. The attorney has been suspended three times.