No longer in limbo? State bar takes caseload of late Fresno lawyer who had 14 complaints
The State Bar of California has been given Superior Court approval to take over the practice of a Fresno attorney who died and left behind more than a dozen frustrated clients.
The rare move was necessary in order to prevent further harm to the clients and cases of family law attorney James Louis Miller, who died on May 26. He had been a lawyer for 10 years.
At least 14 of his clients have filed complaints with the State Bar against Miller for delays inaction and a lack of communication.
Nicole Garcia told KMPH Fox 26 in early May that she hired Miller to help her get visitation rights for her grandson. But he didn’t follow through.
“Not returning phone calls, not returning text messages, not appearing in court a couple of times, just kind of giving me the runaround,” she told KMPH.
As part of assuming Miller’s practice, state officials will recover his client’s files and return them at their request. Court records show there are at least 100 active client files in his office and home.
The state’s lawyers will also apply for extensions of time if necessary, pending the hiring of other counsel by the client.
With the consent of the client, the state can file notices, motions and other pleadings on behalf of the clients where time limits are involved and other legal counsel has not yet been obtained.
A receiver will be appointed to take possession and control of any and all bank accounts relating to Miller’s law practice, including the general or office account and the clients’ trust account.
Any member of the public who employed Miller as an attorney can contact the State Bar at 800-843-9053.
This story was originally published July 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
