SAN FRANCISCO (Northern California Record) — San Diego attorney David Leon Speckman faces possible suspension following a recently announced California State Bar Court recommendation regarding his misdemeanor conviction for disorderly conduct in Las Vegas.
The state bar court recommended Speckman receive a stayed one-year suspension with 30 days of actual suspension and that he be placed on two years' probation, according to the 29-page decision issued Dec. 13 by the state bar court.
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. Speckman's recommended discipline was among the dispositions filed earlier this month by the state bar court's hearing department for December.
Speckman was admitted to the bar in California on Dec. 1, 1995, according to his profile at the state bar website. Speckman, who had no prior discipline before the state bar, also is licensed in Nevada and reported his conviction to bar officials in both states as required, according to the decision.
On Oct. 11, 2016, the Nevada attorney general, after dismissing felony counts of insurance fraud and attempted theft stemming from Speckman's allegedly fraudulent insurance claim for damage to his commercial property in Las Vegas, charged the attorney with disorderly conduct. Speckman subsequently pleaded nolo contendere to the charge and received a suspended jail sentence of six months, 100 hours of community service, plus fees and restitution of $4,400, according to the decision.
The State Bar of Nevada later alleged Speckman violated professional conduct rules regarding the commission of a criminal act and engaging in conduct involving dishonest, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation. Speckman filed a response in October 2017 denying the allegations. However, in July 2018 he entered into a conditional guilty plea to a violation of Nevada professional conduct rule and received a public reprimand.
The matter was referred to a California bar hearing committee in May 2018.
Thirty days of actual suspension "would serve to underline to [Speckman] the seriousness of his professional responsibilities as an attorney and the need for him to conform to his ethical duties," the decision said.