As an attorney, you work every day to ensure your clients receive the access to justice that they’re due. But are you also receiving the justice that you’re due? The State Bar of California recently announced its priorities for 2020, and two items ranked near the top....
Attorney disbarred over misappropriation of funds
An attorney from La Cañada Flintridge, California, was recently disbarred after being accused of overcharging a client, misappropriating funds and failing to make agreed-upon restitution. This 66-year-old attorney has a troubled history with the State Bar. His license...
Study: Professional and marital misconduct are linked
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have discovered a definitive connection between marital infidelity and professional misconduct -- regardless of the profession of the individual involved.The study took a look at four different categories of people:...
Radiologist surrenders license in California
A San Luis Obispo radiologist has voluntarily surrendered his license to practice after an investigation into his alleged drug use, abuse of prescriptions and malpractice.The investigation by the California Medical Board lasted nearly two years and looked all the way...
Data breaches and your medical practice (and license)
Data breaches are a distinctly modern problem that your predecessors in the medical profession didn't have to worry about (at least, not to this extent). Because of the increased public focus on data breaches, a lax attitude toward your patient's privacy could put...
California Bar aims to revoke celebrity attorney’s license
"Celebrity" attorney Michael Avenatti, who is perhaps best known for his representation of actress Stormy Daniels and his abrasive style of commentary, is facing a new battle: He's trying to keep his license to practice law.The California State Bar has moved to place...
Testing accommodations, autism and the California Bar Exam
A lot of people forget that autism encompasses a vast spectrum of capabilities -- and it isn't necessarily a barrier to achieving one's dream of becoming an attorney.Just this past January, for example, a young woman with high-functioning autism was admitted to the...
New fingerprinting rule trips up attorneys with something to hide
A new rule requiring attorneys in California to resubmit their fingerprinting forms to the State Bar by the end of April of this year has uncovered numerous instances of attorneys who had something to hide -- like crimes they had committed.As of shortly before the...
Anti-vaxxers may put California doctors under scrutiny
There's a lot of controversy surrounding mandatory childhood vaccinations. While the majority of people -- including most medical professionals -- believe that immunizations are important, there is a highly vocal minority of "anti-vaxxers" that believe that...
Can a doctor date a former patient?
As a doctor, you know that a romantic relationship with a current patient is absolutely off-limits -- but what about former patients? Is it really a breach of ethics if there's no current physician-patient relationship?According to the American Medical Association...