SAN FRANCISCO (Northern California Record) — Mexican attorney Christopher Brian Conkle faces suspension and probation following a July 11 California Supreme Court order over allegations of commingling and failure to provide an appropriate accounting, according to a recent State Bar of California announcement and court documents.
The Supreme Court handed down a stayed one-year suspension and a year of conditional probation with the first 90 days spent on suspension. Conditions of his probation include passing the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination as previously recommended by the California State Bar Court's Hearing Department. He also was ordered to pay costs.
His discipline will be effective Aug. 10, according to an announcement recently posted on the state bar's website.
Conkle was admitted to the bar in California on Feb. 7, 2008, according to his profile at the state bar website. He had no prior discipline before the state bar and is law office is in Distrito Federal in Mexico, according to his profile.
Allegations against Conkle stem from his representation of clients in a wrongful foreclosure and elder abuse case for which he was initially hired in February 2012, according to the stipulation filed with the state bar court in March. In December 2012 and August 2013, Conkle received settlements of more than $357,500 on behalf of his clients and deposited the funds into his client trust account but did not immediately remove his earned fees, according to the stipulation.
The following January, Conkle made five electronic withdrawals totally a little more than $10,147 from his client trust account to pay personal expenses, the stipulation stated, adding, "These funds represented respondent’s earned fees."
Conkle allegedly left personal funds in his client trust account, commingled his funds with client funds and failed to render an appropriate and complete accounting following requests between June 2, 2016, and Sept. 20, 2016, according to the stipulation.