Opinion ID: 1358713
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Opportunity to Defend

Text: (5) Petitioner next contends that he was denied a reasonable opportunity to defend against the complaint. He now requests a hearing de novo or, alternatively, an opportunity to present additional evidence since he was not present nor represented by counsel at hearings scheduled by the committee. It appears, however, that petitioner did not avail himself of generous opportunities to prepare his defense, obtain counsel, and appear at the scheduled hearings. He is, accordingly, not entitled to relief. Kim's complaint of unprofessional conduct was filed in June 1970. After a preliminary investigation a formal notice to show cause was served on petitioner in Tokyo on December 25, 1971. Hearing was set for March 22, 1972, so as to afford time for discovery proceedings. Petitioner filed a formal answer in early January 1972 and stated that he would be unable to attend the hearing in California because of the expense involved as well as his desire to fulfill commitments to do legal work in the South Pacific area and Japan. [5] Petitioner also requested an opportunity to take the deposition in Tokyo of a loan officer of the Bank of Tokyo. Accordingly, the hearing was continued to May 25, 1972. On May 25, 1972, petitioner was still not ready to proceed as he had not completed his discovery. The committee decided that the procedure previously approved was too cumbersome and time consuming. [6] It referred the matter to another committee to formulate a more expeditious procedure. It was finally proposed that petitioner be sent a list of the names of adverse witnesses, that he prepare cross-examination questions for each witness on the list, and that such questions be propounded to the witnesses immediately after they completed their testimony on direct examination. Petitioner objected to this procedure since it forced him to prepare questions for cross-examination without prior knowledge of the witnesses' testimony on direct examination. The committee, however, approved this procedure at a meeting on August 21, 1972, and advised petitioner to obtain counsel to represent him at the formal evidentiary hearing which was set for November 2, 1972. Although the State Bar promptly mailed a record of these proceedings to petitioner, he did not learn of these developments until early October since he had moved from Japan to Guam in July without notifying the State Bar of his new address. In late October he requested a continuance of the hearing stating that he had been unable to reach the attorney of his choice, Mr. William J. Bluestein. [7] On November 2, 1972, the hearing was continued to February 26, 1973, to give petitioner an opportunity to obtain counsel and prepare. On November 9, 1972, the transcript of the proceedings of November 2 was mailed to petitioner along with a letter informing him that he was to retain counsel and be prepared for the hearing before February 26, 1973. Petitioner was additionally warned that the hearing would proceed on February 26 whether or not he had arranged to be represented by counsel. Since Bluestein had told the State Bar that he was not petitioner's counsel and would not represent petitioner until a satisfactory fee arrangement had been negotiated, the November 9 letter of the State Bar also requested petitioner to inform the State Bar of the name of his attorney as soon as he was retained. Although petitioner negotiated with Bluestein for a fee arrangement, he did not promptly forward the necessary funds to secure Bluestein's services. On January 4, 1973, Bluestein wrote petitioner asking for a $500 retainer and requesting an immediate reply so he would be able to inform the State Bar whether or not he would be representing petitioner. On January 9 the State Bar wrote petitioner confirming the date of the February 26 hearing and again warning him that he was expected to have counsel ready by that date. On January 17 petitioner informed the State Bar that he had not yet employed counsel since he had not raised the funds for a retainer. Petitioner did not forward the required sum until February 20. Unfortunately, it did not reach Bluestein until the very date of the hearing at a time when it was too late to appear or to represent petitioner at the hearing. Although Bluestein called the offices of the State Bar on the date of the hearing, he was unable to contact the examiner who had already left to attend the hearing. Bluestein did not officially inform the State Bar that he represented petitioner until two days after the hearing had been completed. The foregoing record discloses that petitioner had ample opportunity to prepare for the hearing. More than 14 months had expired from the time the notice to show cause had been served until the hearing was finally conducted. Petitioner was continually informed of the progress of the proceedings. Because he had repeatedly advised the State Bar that he would be unable to appear in person the committee had, in good faith, made reasonable efforts to afford him an opportunity to defend against the complaint under these difficult circumstances. (6) Proceedings before the State Bar are sui generis, neither civil nor criminal in character, and the ordinary criminal procedural safeguards do not apply. ( Lewis v. State Bar (1973) 9 Cal.3d 704, 713-714 [108 Cal. Rptr. 821, 511 P.2d 1173]; Bernstein v. State Bar, supra, 6 Cal.3d 909, 916; Eschwig v. State Bar, supra, 1 Cal.3d 8, 18.) (7) A member of the State Bar has an obligation to appear at his disciplinary hearing and the hearing can properly proceed in his absence. (§ 6111; rule 32, Rules of Proc. of the State Bar; see Alkow v. State Bar (1971) 3 Cal.3d 924, 933-934 [92 Cal. Rptr. 278, 479 P.2d 638]; Wilson v. State Bar (1958) 50 Cal.2d 509, 510-511 [326 P.2d 849].) (8) A member of the bar has a duty to present any evidence he deems favorable to himself and a failure to do so may justify a denial of a motion for a rehearing for the purpose of presenting additional evidence. ( Barreiro v. State Bar (1970) 2 Cal.3d 912, 925 [88 Cal. Rptr. 192, 471 P.2d 992]; see Alkow v. State Bar, supra, at pp. 933-934; Wilson v. State Bar, supra, at pp. 510-511; In re Vaughan (1922) 189 Cal. 491, 497-498 [209 P. 353, 24 A.L.R. 858].) (9) Finally, a member of the bar has a responsibility to obtain counsel if he wishes to be represented at a hearing. (See Hyland v. State Bar (1963) 59 Cal.2d 765, 773-774 [31 Cal. Rptr. 329, 382 P.2d 369].) In light of the foregoing it is apparent that petitioner has no cause to complain of the procedures employed by the local committee. Although written submissions are no substitute for oral presentation ( Goldberg v. Kelly (1970) 397 U.S. 254, 269 [25 L.Ed.2d 287, 299-300, 90 S.Ct. 1011]), and cross-examination without the opportunity to hear the witnesses on direct examination is not as effective as cross-examination with such an opportunity, such procedures were necessitated by petitioner's repeated refusal to comply with his obligation to appear in California for the hearing. The procedures were a bona fide effort by the committee to honor petitioner's wishes not to appear in person and to conduct the hearing by alternative means. The committee's refusal to conduct the hearing in all respects as requested by petitioner is immaterial. Petitioner at all times was afforded the opportunity to appear and to appear with or by counsel; his election not to do so constitutes a waiver of any claims of irregularity he now urges. [8] The failure of petitioner to arrange to be represented by counsel at the hearing can be attributed only to his own defaults. Nearly six months elapsed from the time petitioner was told he should employ counsel until the time of the hearing in early 1973. Part of the delay was due to petitioner's failure to give his forwarding address to the State Bar and part was due to petitioner's lack of diligence in arranging for payment of the retainer fee. [9] His entire course of conduct in responding to the order to show cause reveals a lack of concern for the seriousness of the charges and a misunderstanding of the real priorities in the assignment of his time, effort and energies to the problems confronting him.