SAN FRANCISCO (Northern California Record) — Arcata attorney Gregory P. Allen faces possible disbarment by default following a recently announced California State Bar Court recommendation after he allegedly failed to comply with conditions of a previous public reproval.
Allen failed to comply with conditions that included completing 10 hours of participatory continuing legal education classes and to timely submit a final report, according to the nine-page decision and order of involuntary inactive enrollment issued Oct. 5 by the state bar court. Allen was publicly reproved in September 2016 after he stipulated to failures to keep his client reasonably informed and to cooperate in a disciplinary investigation, according to the decision and order.
The state bar's recommendation is pending final action by the California Supreme Court, an appeal before the state bar's review department or expiration of time when parties can request further review within the state bar court.
Allen's recommended disbarment was among the dispositions filed earlier this month by the state bar court's hearing department for October.
Allen was admitted to the bar in California on May 29, 1981, according to his profile at the state bar website. Allen had no record discipline in California prior to his public reproval.
Allen told a deputy trail counselor this past spring that he "had not complied with the terms of his reproval due to his health and personal difficulties and indicated that he wanted to enter into a stipulation for the violation of his reproval," the decision and order said. Negotiations for the stipulation continued at least until April 10, according to the decision.
However, Allen did not timely move to set aside his default, file a response to the motion in the matter and negotiations for a stipulation never concluded.
The state bar's entry for default against Allen was entered in April. Allen did not appear for the July 2 status conference, and the court denied his motion for relief from default. In August, the office of chief trial counsel filed its petition for Allen's disbarment, to which Allen did not reply and the case was submitted for decision in September.