On Wednesday, August 2, 2023, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of the Bar Overseers of the Supreme Judicial Court publicly reprimanded attorney Paul R. Los over a conflict of interest for drafting a trust instrument that potentially provided a substantial gift to Los’ son.
The case is entitled “Bar Counsel v. Paul R. Los,” case no. 2023-10.
The charges cited Los’ violation of Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct 1.8(c).
The rules of professional conduct can be found here.
In 2011, Los began representing a client in real estate and estate planning. A close friendship developed between the client, Los, and his son. In 2015, the client hired Los to revise his estate plan, which included creating a will and trust. The client specifically requested that Los’s son be included as a successor beneficiary in the trust, in case the client’s daughter was unable to inherit the trust assets. The client passed away in 2018, and although the trust held a significant amount of money, the respondent’s son did not receive any funds from the trust because the client’s daughter was alive and eligible to receive the assets according to the trust’s terms.
For failing to ensure that the trust instrument’s provisions were executed in a manner consistent with ethical and professional standards, Los clearly violated the rules of professional conduct as charged.
The parties entered into a stipulation and jointly agreed that Los be sanctioned with discipline in the form of a public reprimand.
Accordingly, the Board of Bar Overseers voted to accept the stipulation and their joint recommendation, thereby, publicly reprimanding Los.
According to his LinkedIn page, Mr. Paul R. Los practices as an attorney at South Coast Law, serving North Dartmouth. He attended the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth School of Law. Los has been admitted to practice in Massachusetts, license no. 628528.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
