El Dorado Hills attorney Reginald Arthur Dunn has been disbarred by the California State Bar over 11 counts of professional conduct and business code violations in two client matters, according to a recent decision.
Dunn allegedly failed to perform any work in one client matter and took no action in the second, according to the eight-page decision and order of involuntary inactive enrollment issued Aug. 9.
Dunn failed to participate in person or via counsel and state bar's decision and order for disbarment was entered by default. In cases such as this, when an attorney fails to participate in a California State Bar disciplinary proceeding despite adequate notice and opportunity, the bar invokes Rule 5.85, which provides the procedure for the state bar to recommend an attorney’s disbarment.
The bar's decision is pending final action by the California Supreme Court, an appeal before the bar's Review Department or expiration of time in which parties to may request further review within the State Bar Court.
Dunn was admitted to the bar in California on Dec. 10, 1997, according to his profile at the state bar's website. No previous disciplinary action against Dunn is listed on his profile page at the state bar's website.
In the first client matter, Dunn was accused of failing to respond to his client's multiple status inquiries, according to the state bar's decision and order. Dunn also allegedly didn't tell his client he was withdrawing as counsel and, not taking reasonable steps to avoid reasonably foreseeable prejudice to his client's rights, constructively terminated his employment on June 22, 2015, according to the state bar's decision and order.
In the second client matter, Dunn was accused of constructively terminating his employment as that client's attorney Oct. 27, 2015, and didn't release the client's property or papers, despite a June 24, 2016, court order to do so, according to the state bar's decision and order.
Dunn has not been eligible to practice law in California since Feb. 17 when he was ordered inactive after he failed to make a filing in the state bar's proceedings against him, according to information on his profile at the state bar's website.