| ► Attorney Bruce Nishioka of Brookings, OR; ethical elf |
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Attorney Bruce Nishioka of Brookings, OR; ethical elf
The state of California provided Bruce Matsuo Nishioka with a law license in 1991 after he graduated from the University of San Diego Law College.
The State Bar Court found Bruce guilty of the following misconduct.
Bruce was disciplined in Oregon for misconduct that warranted reciprocal discipline in Calfiornia.
Bruce allowed a non-lawyer to use his letterhead and pleading forms, thus he aided in the unauthorized practice of law. He also failed to supervise his paralegal to ensure that a probate case was handled properly, and he failed to obtain court approval for fees prior to paying them to himself.
Bruce allowed his paralegal to prepare and file a probate petition that identified Nishioka as the attorney. The paralegal also prepared a final accounting and petition for general judgment of final distribution, stating there were no assets.
Subsequently, Bruce withdrew from the case. The trial court determined that Bruce’s work was below local standards and approved $1,500 in fees. A beneficiary of the estate had paid Bruce $4,268 for legal fees. Because of the charges and Bruce’s failure to obtain court approval of the fees before they were paid, he charged and collected illegal and excessive fees.
As a consequence of his misconduct, the supporters for Attorney Misfits sitting on the Bar Court punished Bruce by gifting him with a complimentary stayed 6-month suspension of his law license. In truth,
As we speak (ca. April 2013) Bruce practices with the Law Office of Bruce Nishioka in Brookings, Oregon.
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