The State Bar's Charges Against Disgraced Former Tracy City Attorney, Bijal Patel, Are Serious
The charges filed by the State Bar of California hold potentially significant consequences for Tracy’s disgraced former City Attorney, Bijal Patel.
As previously reported, the State Bar filed formal disciplinary charges against Patel in June.
The charges stem from Patel allegedly continuing to act in the role of city attorney despite her license having been suspended by the State Bar between July 1 and August 1, 2023.
Patel had failed to complete her legal education requirements and file a report with the State Bar by the February 2023 deadline.
Shockingly, she deliberately hid this fact from the city council and continued to act as the city's attorney, as though she was in good standing with the State Bar.
It’s essential to note that every licensed attorney in the State of California is required to complete this task, and they are given ample time to do so.
The State Bar issues numerous notices to negligent attorneys, urging them to comply with the law. In this case, these notices were sent to Patel at Tracy City Hall.
There was no basis for confusion.
Everyone understands you can't perform surgery if your physician's license is invalid, and you can't practice law if your attorney's license is invalid.
In other words, there was no good excuse for her lapse of judgment.
There was also no justification for hiding this serious issue from her employer, the city council.
Patel’s bigger lapse of judgment, however, was not failing to do her paperwork but allegedly continuing to practice law while her license was suspended.
The consequences for Patel could be significant.
If found guilty, she could face:
- Suspension or involuntary inactive status immediately halts her ability to practice law.
- Financial sanctions, with penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.
- Disbarment, the most severe penalty, permanently strips her of her law license.
The State Bar of California’s Actions Against Patel are Rare
According to a local attorney that we contacted, there is rarely any enforcement activity against local attorneys by the State Bar.
However, it does take the matter of practicing law with a suspended license seriously.
A Stockton attorney, for instance, was placed on probation for a year for using an attorney with a suspended license to perform legal services for clients.
The attorney went on to say that most cases are settled, and that only the most extreme violations are ever heard by the State Bar Court of California.