SAN FRANCISCO – La Canada Flintridge attorney Robert Carlin Burlison Jr. has been voluntarily disbarred following a July 11 California Supreme Court order over alleged misappropriation and other allegations.
"[Burlison] misappropriated funds from an estate, made a misrepresentation to a court and failed to promptly account," the stipulation filed in the disciplinary matter against Burlison said.
In its order, the Supreme Court also ordered Burlison to pay a little more than $34,680 plus interest in restitution, in addition to costs, and that he comply with California court rules regarding his discipline.
Burlison's disbarment was effective Aug. 10, according to an announcement on the state bar's website.
He was admitted to the bar in California on May 29, 1981, according to his profile at the State Bar of California's website.
Burlison was hired in July 2008 to represent the personal representative of an estate and he continued in that capacity for about a decade, according to the stipulation filed in April.
He allegedly received $95,000 to hold in his client trust account on behalf of the estate and then took a little more than $80,159 in fees without first informing the court or gaining its approval, according to the stipulation. In so doing, Burlison allegedly and willfully misappropriated funds, which the state bar considers an act involving moral turpitude.
Burlison also allegedly failed to disclose that the estate included $95,000 from a malpractice settlement and to have delayed providing an accounting to his client regarding disbursement of funds belonging to the estate.
In a previous discipline, Burlison was privately reproved in March 1994, according to the stipulation.
"[Burlison's] prior reproval constitutes an aggravating factor, though of diminished weight because the misconduct is remote in time and minimal in nature," the stipulation said.
Burlison was alleged to have committed multiple acts of misconduct, failed to make full restitution and to have overreached during his representation of the estate's personal representative, which outweighs mitigation provided by good character and the stipulation, the stipulation said.
"Disbarment is appropriate under the standards because [Burlison]'s misappropriation of a significant amount of funds is not mitigated by compelling circumstances that predominate," the stipulation said.