SAN FRANCISCO – Longtime Los Angeles attorney James Mark Meizlik faces suspension and probation following an Aug. 8 California Supreme Court order after he allegedly shared fees with non-attorneys, according to a recent State Bar of California announcement and court documents.
The Supreme Court handed down a stayed two-year suspension and placed Meizlik on two years' probation with a minimum of the first year to be spent on suspension. Meizlik will remain on suspension until he provides proof to the California State Bar Court of his "rehabilitation, fitness to practice and present learning and ability in the general law," the Supreme Court's order said.
Conditions of Meizlik's probation include passing the multistate professional responsibility examination as previously recommended by the California State Bar Court's Hearing Department. Meizlik also was ordered to pay costs.
Meizlik's discipline will be effective Saturday, Sept. 7, according to an announcement recently posted on the state bar's website.
Meizlik was admitted to the bar in California on Dec. 20, 1974, according to his profile at the state bar website.
Allegations against Meizlik stem from his representation of a client, Juan Carlos Alarcón, in a Los Angeles Superior Court case, for which Meizlik was hired in January 2016, according to the stipulation filed with the State Bar Court in April. The same day Meizlik was hired, he rented office space from the Alliance Solution Network (ASN) that provided administrative support for his law practice in addition to office space, according to the stipulation.
ASN allegedly received $8,000 in legal fees from Alarcon behalf of Meizlik, of which ASN kept $5,500 and gave the rest to Meizlik.
In February 2016, Meizlik substituted into Alarcón's matter while an associate of Meizlik represented Alarcón at trial in the matter for which Alarcón had hired respondent Meizlik, according to the stipulation.
In a previous discipline in August 2003, Meizlik received a stayed two-year suspension and was placed on two years' probation following a Supreme Court order after he stipulated to misconduct in two matters, according to information on his state bar profile.
"In both, a non-lawyer associate of Meizlik accepted clients and their fees," his profile said.
Meizlik also was privately reproved in 2000 for failing to perform competently, according to his profile.