On Monday, July 7, 2025, the California Supreme Court issued an order suspending attorney Renee Estelle Sanders from practicing law in California for one year, with the suspension stayed pending a one-year probation period. Sanders faces a 60-day actual suspension during the initial phase of her probation.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Renee Estelle Sanders,” with case number S290661.
The court’s decision follows a stipulation approved by the State Bar Court’s Hearing Department on April 4, 2025, addressing misconduct in two cases.
The first case involved the estate of Shirley Marie Houston, who died intestate in November 2014, leaving behind a property in Palmdale and a retirement account worth over $123,000. Houston had two daughters, one of whom, MW, resided in a mental health institution in Illinois under a conservatorship. The other daughter, SW, nominated a friend, BU, as the estate’s administrator, who then retained Sanders to handle probate proceedings.
On March 18, 2015, SW informed Sanders via email about her sister’s situation, providing sufficient information to indicate MW was an heir. Despite this, Sanders failed to investigate further and relied on an intake form prepared by a disbarred former attorney working as her paralegal, which incorrectly stated SW was the sole heir. Sanders filed a Petition for Letters of Administration on April 1, 2015, misrepresenting that SW was the only heir and that all heirs waived bond. This led to the court issuing letters of administration to BU without requiring a bond.
BU arranged for the property’s sale, which closed on October 30, 2015, for $187,650. The buyer, an associate of BU, resold the property in January 2016 for $286,189.21, with BU receiving $81,000 from the transaction. Sanders accepted a $4,000 payment from BU on February 2, 2016, without court authorization, violating California Rules of Court.
MW’s conservator later discovered the misconduct, leading to BU’s removal as administrator and a settlement in 2019 where Sanders repaid the $4,000. The court also awarded MW’s counsel $80,111.50 in attorney fees, reducing the estate’s value.
In a separate case, between June 2021 and July 2022, Sanders improperly deposited client funds, escrow funds, and unearned fees totaling over $35,000 into a personal account before transferring them to her client trust account. She also failed to maintain proper client trust account records from March 2019 to March 2024. Additionally, Sanders employed a disbarred attorney as a paralegal without reporting the termination of this employment to the State Bar.
The Supreme Court’s order requires Sanders to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination and comply with the California Rules of Court within specified timelines.
According to Avvo, Ms. Sanders is a child custody lawyer in Pasadena, CA. She acquired her law license in California in 2003.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
