In Re Silverton

In 1975, this court ordered petitioner Ronald Robert Silverton disbarred based on his felony convictions for conspiracy to obtain money by false pretenses and to present a fraudulent insurance claim as well as for soliciting another to commit or join in the commission of grand theft. (In re Silverton (1975) 14 Cal.3d 517, 519 [ 121 Cal.Rptr. 596 , 535 P.2d 724 ].) After three unsuccessful applications, petitioner was reinstated as a member of the State Bar on October 6, 1992. Less than two years later, he began a series of client transactions that became the subject of another disciplinary proceeding charging violations of rules 3-300 and 4-200 of the Rules of Professional Conduct. The Review Department of the State Bar Court (Review Department) ultimately concluded that petitioner violated rule 4-200 with respect to three matters and violated rule 3-300 with respect to one other matter and recommended that petitioner be placed on two years’ stayed suspension and three years’ probation with various conditions, including a 60-day period of actual suspension.

In determining the appropriate level of discipline to recommend to this court, the Review Department considered the…