California Bar Standards and What Comes Next
Legal experts agree: the biggest threat facing Geragos now isn’t financial, it’s professional. California attorneys are bound by the Rules of Professional Conduct, particularly:
- Rule 1.2.1 (Advising or Assisting the Violation of Law): Lawyers are prohibited from counseling or assisting a client in conduct the lawyer knows is criminal or fraudulent.
- Rule 8.4 (Misconduct): It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to “engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or reckless or intentional misrepresentation.”
- Business & Professions Code § 6106: Involves “moral turpitude, dishonesty or corruption.” A finding of moral turpitude can be grounds for disbarment.
Given the jury’s conclusions—especially findings of aiding and abetting, and knowing participation in a scheme to extort—a formal review by the California State Bar seems not just possible, but likely.
Potential Outcomes for Geragos:
- Public reproval or suspension
- Mandatory ethics training or probation
- Disbarment, if the conduct is found egregious enough
If disciplinary proceedings are initiated, the findings of the civil jury—especially as they relate to breaches of fiduciary duty and moral turpitude—could weigh heavily against Geragos.
