SAN FRANCISCO (Northern California Record) — San Jose attorney Judy Ann Lorenzo faces disbarment by default following a State Bar of California recommendation over nine counts of alleged profession conduct rules violations.
Allegations against Lorenzo included failures to perform legal services with competence, maintain client funds in a trust account, respond to client inquiries, render accounts of client funds, return unearned fees and cooperate with a state bar investigation, according to the eight-page decision and order of involuntary inactive enrollment issued April 24 by the state bar court.
In one of the counts against her, Lorenzo was alleged to have willfully violated professional conduct rules governing moral turpitude, dishonesty or corruption when she told a client she had filed a motion "and that it had been denied by the court, when [Lorenzo] knew that the statement was false and misleading," the decision and order of involuntary inactive enrollment said.
Lorenzo failed to participate in person or via counsel and state bar's decision and order for disbarment was entered by default. In such cases, in which 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.
Following her lack of response, default was entered against her in December, according to the decision and order of involuntary inactive enrollment. She was ordered inactive Dec. 4, 2017, and April 27, 2018, according to information on her profile at the state bar website
The state bar's decision is pending final action by the California Supreme Court, an appeal before the state bar's review department or expiration of time in which parties may request further review within the state bar court.
Lorenzo's recommended discipline was among the dispositions filed earlier this month by the state bar court's hearing department for April.
Lorenzo was admitted to the bar in California on Dec. 7, 1990, according to her profile at the state bar website. Lorenzo had no prior discipline before the state bar, according to her profile and the decision and order of involuntary inactive enrollment.