On Thursday, January 15, 2026, the California Supreme Court issued an order disbarring attorney Claire Jacqueline White, State Bar Number 310771, from practicing law in the state.
The decision stems from a series of misconduct allegations detailed in State Bar Court case numbers SBC-25-O-30015, SBC-25-O-30585, and SBC-25-O-30912, which were consolidated for the purpose of the proceedings.
The court’s order mandates that White make restitution to several individuals, totaling tens of thousands of dollars plus interest accruing from various dates in 2020 and 2022. The payees include Dorrell Bolton ($10,000 plus interest from June 5, 2020), Stacey Harris-Thomas ($5,005 plus interest from June 16, 2022), Jeffrey Siegel ($15,000 plus interest from March 14, 2022), and Kayla Gordon ($15,000 plus interest from September 8, 2020).
In addition to restitution, White is required to pay $8,500 in monetary sanctions to the State Bar of California Client Security Fund. The court also awarded costs not to exceed $15,474 to the State Bar.
The disbarment decision is rooted in a stipulation reached between White and the State Bar, detailing a pattern of misconduct across multiple client matters. White pleaded nolo contendere to the charges, which is treated as an admission of culpability under State Bar rules.
The factual stipulations outline a range of ethical violations, including misappropriation of client funds, failure to deposit advanced fees into trust accounts, misrepresentations to clients and the court, and neglect of client matters.
One case, OCTC No. 20-O-04215, involved Robert Bruce, an incarcerated individual who hired White to represent him. White allegedly failed to appear in court on multiple occasions without notifying Bruce, did not seek a mental health expert despite Bruce’s history of mental health issues, and spent a significant portion of Bruce’s advanced fees for personal expenses while performing little to no legal work on his case.
In another case, OCTC No. 20-O-12631, White was hired by Dorrell Bolton. She allegedly advised Bolton that he could miss a court date to attend a funeral and that she would get the warrant cleared if he missed that date. She then failed to take any action to clear the warrant, resulting in Bolton being remanded into custody.
Additional cases detailed similar patterns of misconduct, including accepting fees from third parties without proper consent, failing to communicate with clients, and making false statements to the court.
The State Bar Court found significant aggravating circumstances, including multiple acts of wrongdoing, harm to vulnerable clients, and a lack of candor during the disciplinary investigation. While White presented some mitigating evidence, including a lack of prior discipline and evidence of mental health issues, the court determined that the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigation.
The Supreme Court’s order enforces the disbarment recommendation, effectively ending White’s ability to practice law in California.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
