On Thursday, April 17, 2025, the California Supreme Court summarily disbarred attorney Michael Alan Voorhees from practicing law in the state, striking his name from the roll of attorneys. The decision follows Voorhees’s felony conviction for grand theft by embezzlement, as outlined in a State Bar Court recommendation issued on January 15, 2025.

The case is entitled “In the Matter of Michael Alan Voorhees,” with case number S289393.

Voorhees pleaded guilty on April 23, 2024, to violating Penal Code section 487, subdivision (a), a felony charge. The conviction, deemed final on September 19, 2024, prompted the State Bar’s Office of Chief Trial Counsel (OCTC) to file a motion for summary disbarment on October 21, 2024. The State Bar Court’s Review Department granted the motion, citing the felony’s involvement of moral turpitude, which mandates disbarment under Business and Professions Code section 6102, subdivision (c). The court noted that grand theft inherently involves moral turpitude, referencing prior cases such as In re Basinger (1988) and In re Paguirigan (2001).

As a result of his conviction, Voorhees was placed on interim suspension effective July 29, 2024. On December 23, 2024, he was enrolled as an involuntary inactive member of the State Bar, effective January 13, 2025, due to a sentence of incarceration exceeding 90 days, as per Business and Professions Code section 6007, subdivision (c)(5).

The Supreme Court’s order requires Voorhees to comply with California Rules of Court, rule 9.20, notifying clients and others of his disbarment within 30 and 40 days of the order’s filing, respectively. Failure to comply may result in the denial of any future reinstatement application.

Additionally, Voorhees was ordered to pay $5,000 in monetary sanctions to the State Bar of California Client Security Fund, as authorized by Business and Professions Code section 6086.13 and rule 5.137 of the Rules of Procedure of the State Bar. These sanctions, enforceable as a money judgment, must be paid in full as a condition of reinstatement unless extended by applicable law.

According to Avvo, Mr. Voorhees was a real estate lawyer in Santa Rosa, CA. He acquired his law license in California in 1979.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.