Current Status:  Disbarred

This member is prohibited from practicing law in California by order of the California Supreme Court.

See below for more details.

Profile Information

The following information is from the official records of The State Bar of California.

Bar Number:	77771
Address:	Pines & Associates 701 Palomar Airport Rd Ste 300 Carlsbad, CA 92011	Phone Number:	(760) 453-0131
		Fax Number:	(760) 301-0093
		e-mail:	ugebtawhl@jwabpj.netinfo@pinesandassociates.comrmspmm@hsaksa.netyfrypsk@nab.edukbsh@koe.edupogrrqbn@otcodqy.edudrfjj@uko.edumyifsfeur@qafrr.edubtjndt@buiqs.edubtplnh@qmfeq.edunaodfpdnk@dwhj.comdryl@ourwsikc.netooathgbw@rif.orglbbfk@ouitlgwe.orgyfaubgkq@tlll.govqmnrdb@oddauw.edufjoblpssf@bpj.govugkygluae@ttbrw.orgjkjpwt@tbktbok.govhhdagkh@hmphsd.org
County:	San Diego	Undergraduate School:	Univ of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA
District:	District 4
Sections:	None	Law School:	Univ of San Diego SOL; San Diego CA

Status History

Effective Date	Status Change
Present	Disbarred
11/16/2012	Disbarred
5/1/2011	Not Eligible To Practice Law
12/21/1977	Admitted to The State Bar of California

Explanation of member status

Actions Affecting Eligibility to Practice Law

Effective Date	Description	Case Number	Resulting Status
Disciplinary and Related Actions Overview of the attorney discipline system.
11/16/2012	Disbarment	10-O-10600	Disbarred
6/14/2012	Ordered inactive	10-O-10600	Not Eligible To Practice Law
12/30/2011	Interim suspension after conviction	10-C-10151	Not Eligible To Practice Law
8/21/2011	Ordered inactive	10-O-10600	Not Eligible To Practice Law
5/1/2011	Inactive - Irreparable injury (6007c)	11-TE-10948	Not Eligible To Practice Law
Administrative Actions
7/1/2011	Suspended, failed to pay Bar membr. fees		Not Eligible To Practice Law

State Bar Court Cases

NOTE: The State Bar Court began posting public discipline documents online in 2005. The format and pagination of documents posted on this site may vary from the originals in the case file as a result of their translation from the original format into Word and PDF. Copies of additional related documents in a case are available upon request. Only Opinions designated for publication in the State Bar Court Reporter may be cited or relied on as precedent in State Bar Court proceedings. For further information about a case that is displayed here, please refer to the State Bar Court's online docket, which can be found at: http://apps.statebarcourt.ca.gov/dockets/dockets.aspx

DISCLAIMER: Any posted Notice of Disciplinary Charges, Conviction Transmittal or other initiating document, contains only allegations of professional misconduct. The attorney is presumed to be innocent of any misconduct warranting discipline until the charges have been proven.

Effective Date	Case Number	Description
11/16/2012	10-O-10600	Decision [PDF] [WORD]
12/30/2011	10-C-10151	Interim Suspension Order [PDF]
8/21/2011	10-O-10600	Order re Entry of Default [PDF]
5/1/2011	11-TE-10948	Decision [PDF] [WORD]
Pending	10-C-10151	Initiating Document [PDF]

California Bar Journal Discipline Summaries

Summaries from the California Bar Journal are based on discipline orders but are not the official records. Not all discipline actions have associated CBJ summaries. Copies of official attorney discipline records are available upon request.

November 16, 2012

MICHAEL T. PINES [#77771], 60, of Carlsbad was disbarred Nov. 16, 2012, and was ordered to comply with rule 9.20 of the California Rules of Court.

Pines failed to respond to charges of 18 counts of misconduct and his default was entered in August 2011. Under rule 5.85 of the bar’s Rules of Procedure, any attorney who does not respond to disciplinary charges and makes no move to set aside his default within 180 days is subject to disbarment.

The charges were deemed admitted when Pines’ default was entered. They involved his representation of three clients who lost their homes to foreclosure and advising them to retake their former homes by forcibly breaking into them after new owners had taken title.

In the first matter, Pines was charged with committing an act of moral turpitude by threatening the new property owner of his client’s former property, refusing to leave the property when instructed and violating the terms of temporary restraining orders. He failed to perform legal services competently by advising his clients they had a legal right to possess certain property when they did not. He also said the clients had the right to enter their former homes. Pines also made criminal threats and failed to provide respect to the courts.

In the second matter, he was charged with moral turpitude for advising his client to break into his former residence, trespass and aid and abet vandalism.

He helped other clients move back into their former homes, exposing them to civil and criminal liabilities by encouraging them to trespass, ignore police warnings and vandalize property. Pines also was charged with trespass and contempt of court.

Pines was placed on interim suspension last year following a conviction for misdemeanor attempted burglary.