The Playbook Introduction

If you are the target of a State Bar of California ethics investigation or State Bar Court action, then you are not alone. Thousands of complaints are filed and investigations launched every year. If you are considering representing yourself through this process, then you have come to the right place for a map. The Introduction is a great place to start exploring.

Pro se respondents in the State Bar discipline system are at a distinct disadvantage. The State Bar lawyers already know the rules of the game, but for the Respondent, it’s a game like you have never played before. Basic rules that are applied in other courts do not apply in attorney discipline cases. It’s ironic — principles lawyers fight to uphold for their clients don’t apply when lawyers are the ones being prosecuted. For example, the rules of evidence do not apply to attorney discipline trials. Procedural rules that do exist are not strictly enforced. It is Wonderland, where things are not always as they seem. The Introduction gives you a glimpse at how The Playbook can help bring sense to your case.

How The Playbook Can Help

Confusion leads self-represented lawyers to make costly mistakes when their licenses are on the line. For solo lawyers, even a short suspension can end their practice. The Playbook provides pro se respondents with a map through the discipline system. Download a free copy of the introduction to the main text to see what it has to offer.

The Playbook walks lawyers through the system and the rules, demystifying the process and providing guidance and sample filings. It highlights unexpected pitfalls — like not being able to refuse to testify against yourself. It explains how you can be found culpable for violating several statutes by a single act, and it lawys out how you can be charged with multiple acts of misconduct for what any rational person would view as a single act.

The Playbook Introduction and Contents

The Playbook is presented as an interactive PDF on a members’ only website. It is simple to navigate through volumes of original material and appendices. The web access ensures that members always have the most up-to-date version of the material, and it also contains access to an ever-growing library of over 50 sample filings in California State Bar Court.

Learn More in the Introduction

If you want to know more, then download the introduction and see what you can learn from this great guide.

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Megan Zavieh, Principal Author and Editor

Megan focuses her practice entirely on State Bar defense in California. Her law practice is Zavieh Law, a progressive firm operating primarily on a flat fee model. She also writes extensively on attorney ethics and practice management at Lawyerist.com, AttorneyatWork.com and CaliforniaStateBarDefense.com.

Megan’s passion is saving lawyer’s careers by assisting them through the discipline process. She sees a tremendous need for a resource for self-represented lawyers entering the discipline system without a map. The Playbook is her answer to that need.

Learn more about the principal author and editor