Day 1 in State Bar Trial Against Former Tracy City Attorney Bijal Patel; Retains Jack Daniels’ Trial Attorney
Today marked the first day in the California State Bar’s trial against disgraced former Tracy City Attorney Bijal Patel.
Given the charges and the large number of witnesses called by both parties, it was likely a long day in court.
The State Bar submitted a damaging timeline against Patel, accusing her of knowingly practicing law while suspended, misleading the City of Tracy about her license status, and attempting to have her suspension backdated to conceal her misconduct.
These were not technical oversights; they were deliberate acts that raise questions about the ethical foundation of City Hall itself.
According to the Pretrial Statement, Patel received at least a dozen reminders from the State Bar between November 2022 and June 2023 warning her that she would be placed on “not eligible” status if she failed to certify completion of the required MCLE courses and pay the fees.
Despite reading many of these emails, Patel ignored them and continued as if the rules governing every California attorney did not apply to her.
When July 1, 2023, arrived, Patel was officially “not eligible to practice law.”
Yet, she continued to serve as City Attorney: advising the City Council in both open and closed sessions, signing contracts, and issuing legal opinions that bound the City of Tracy to liabilities.
The State Bar now alleges Patel misled the Office of Attorney Regulation by trying to “back-date” her suspension after the fact.”
The Bar further notes that she “continued to make inaccurate statements to OCTC in an attempt to avoid the consequences of her misconduct.”
The stakes are high for Patel and the City of Tracy if the Court’s Hearing Judge finds Patel guilty of “moral turpitude,” as the State Bar charges.
Patel Represented by Jack Daniels’ Trial School Attorney, Edward Lear
It’s no surprise that Patel went looking to SoCal to find legal representation; she did the same thing while serving as the city’s attorney.
Lear is an attorney with Century Law Group.
The firm acts as hired guns for attorneys facing disciplinary actions from the State Bar.
Attorney Lear, according to their website, is a former prosecutor with the State Bar.
For the last 10 years, he has served as a faculty member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Jack Daniels Trial School.
Given the charges against Patel, Mr. Lear will need his experience with Jack Daniel’s.
Tomorrow is, as they say, “bottoms up” time!