On Wednesday, February 7, 2024, the Supreme Court of California issued a final order disbarring attorney Frank Lada Kucera.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Frank Lada Kucera,” with case no. S282887.
In its order, the Court adopted the State Bar Court’s recommendation that Kucera be disbarred based on findings that he violated professional ethics rules and failed to properly handle client matters. Specifically, Kucera was found to have committed misconduct in three client cases, resulting in financial harm.
The order stems from disciplinary proceedings brought by the State Bar of California’s Office of Chief Trial Counsel against Kucera. According to the petition that initiated those proceedings last year, the State Bar filed a Notice of Disciplinary Charges against Kucera on March 7, 2023, alleging violations including failing to perform legal services competently, failing to adequately communicate with clients, and misappropriating client funds.
Kucera did not file a response denying the charges by the March 31, 2023, deadline. He was then deemed in default by the State Bar Court on April 27, 2023, after failing to respond to a motion for entry of default. With his default, the factual allegations against him in the Notice of Disciplinary Charges were deemed admitted.
The State Bar’s petition further stated that over the next few months, Kucera made efforts to contact the State Bar Court via email and phone calls but did not file any pleadings as required by procedural rules. On August 7, 2023, the Office of Chief Trial Counsel filed the petition for disbarment, since more than 90 days had passed since Kucera’s default without him filing to set it aside.
In its disbarment order, the Supreme Court adopted the State Bar Court’s recommendation based on findings that Kucera had been properly served, had actual notice of the proceedings, and that his default had been properly entered. It deemed the admitted allegations against Kucera sufficient to warrant discipline. The Court ordered Kucera to pay over $62,000 in restitution to three former clients harmed by his conduct.
The Disposition states:
“The court orders that Frank Lada Kucera (Respondent), State Bar Number 124617, is disbarred from the practice of law and that Respondent’s name is stricken from the roll of attorneys.”
According to avvo.com, Mr. Kucera was a debt settlement attorney in Alameda, California. He attended the University of San Francisco School of Law. He acquired his law license in California in 1986.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
