LOS ANGELES — The State Bar of California has failed to effectively discipline corrupt attorneys, allowing lawyers to repeatedly violate professional standards and harm members of the public, according to a long-awaited audit of the agency released Thursday.
The audit of the State Bar was ordered last year by the Legislature in the wake of a Los Angeles Times investigation that documented how the now-disgraced attorney Tom Girardi cultivated close relationships with the agency and avoided discipline despite scores of complaints and lawsuits from cheated clients.
After the State Bar acknowledged its "mistakes" in handling complaints against Girardi, the Legislature mandated the public examination of the attorney discipline system.
