On November 8, 2023, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, issued a final order of disbarment against attorney Jan Douglas Atlas, who had been suspended pending an inquiry into his criminal conduct.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Jan Douglas Atlas,” with case no. D72891.
Atlas, admitted to the Bar on June 17, 1970, faced disciplinary proceedings following his conviction of securities fraud. The charges stemmed from Atlas’s issuance of false opinion letters in Florida, providing legal cover to a company, 1 Global Capital (1GC), allowing it to continue its operations without complying with federal and state securities laws.
In October 2019, Atlas entered a guilty plea to the information, admitting to knowingly providing false information in the opinion letters. The court noted that Atlas received payments of approximately $627,000, undisclosed to his law firm, as a percentage of commissions from funds raised by 1GC.
Following the guilty plea, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida accepted Atlas’s resignation from the Florida Bar and any other state bars of which he was a member. However, Atlas’s attempt to resign from the New York Bar was not in the proper form.
Upon the Grievance Committee’s motion, the court, by an order to show cause on November 14, 2022, deemed Atlas’s crime a “serious crime” and suspended him immediately from practicing law. Atlas was directed to show cause why a final order of suspension, censure, or disbarment should not be made. Despite the opportunity to respond or seek an extension, Atlas failed to do so.
Consequently, the court concluded that disbarment is warranted due to Atlas’s serious misconduct, conviction of a serious crime, and failure to respond to the disciplinary proceedings. The order, effective immediately, strikes Atlas’s name from the roll of attorneys and counselors-at-law. He is also commanded to comply with the court’s rules governing disbarred or suspended attorneys.
The Disposition states:
“ORDERED that pursuant to Judiciary Law§90(4)(a), the respondent, Jan Douglas Atlas,a suspended attorney, is disbarred, effective immediately, and his name is now stricken from the roll of attorneys and counselors-at-law”
According to Avvo, Mr. Atlas practiced as a securities and investment fraud attorney in New York, New York prior to his disbarment, He attended the St John’s University School of Law, graduating in 1969. He acquired his law license in New York in 1970.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
