A Los Angeles lawyer has forfeited his right to practice law in California after the State Bar Court ruled he intentionally misled incarcerated clients and their families by charging tens of thousands to apply for sentencing relief he knew they would never get.
According to the State Bar of California, Aaron Spolin agreed that he be disbarred for misconduct and admitted to repeatedly collecting “unconscionable” legal fees from his inmate clients to apply for sentencing relief under Assembly Bill 2942, which allows for certain inmates to be resentenced with lighter terms.
But Spolin knew that many of the clients whom he was charging would not be eligible for resentencing under Los Angeles and Orange county guidelines, a fact he never communicated to the clients or their hopeful family members…