Wang

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND2

A. Factual background In November 2013, Wang retained Nesse and his professional corporation, Paul S. Nesse, APC (Nesse),3 to represent her in her marital dissolution action against her husband, Job Lawrence, in Santa Clara County Superior Court No. 2013-6-FL-010041. Nesse’s representation of Wang continued until sometime in late 2014; the precise date that the representation ended comprises the crux of this appeal. Although the parties filed a fully executed substitution of attorney form with the court on December 30, 2014, after having signed it initially on December 23, Nesse contends the facts show that his representation of Wang ended prior to that. Accordingly, we summarize herein the facts relating to Nesse’s representation of Wang in the weeks preceding the filing of the substitution of attorney form. On October 15, 2014, Leah Amini, counsel for Lawrence in the dissolution action, e-mailed Nesse asking if Wang would agree to let Lawrence take their children out of the state for the holidays. On October 24, Amini followed up her prior e-mail and asked Nesse, “May I hear from you regarding the below email please?” The record does not…