In the legal profession, an attorney’s failure to respond to official disciplinary inquiries is often viewed as a definitive admission of unfitness to practice. For Southern California attorney Timothy Alan Poris (State Bar Number 250785), this silence resulted in permanent disbarment, effective August 22, 2025.
The California Supreme Court ordered Poris’s removal from the Bar after he failed to participate in proceedings involving multiple counts of professional misconduct, leading to a default judgment.
The Core Misconduct: Abandonment and Silence
The disciplinary action (Case No. 24-O-30948) stemmed from a series of violations that indicated a total breakdown in professional responsibility. Because Poris did not respond to the State Bar’s Notice of Disciplinary Charges, the court accepted the following allegations as true:
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Failure to Perform with Diligence: Poris neglected the legal matters for which he was hired, leaving clients without the representation they paid for.
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Failure to Respond to Client Inquiries: He ignored repeated and reasonable requests for information, effectively leaving his clients in the dark regarding the status of their legal cases.
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Failure to Cooperate with the State Bar: This was a critical factor in the final decision. In California, failing to respond to a State Bar investigation is a serious ethical breach that often leads to “default” disbarment.
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Failure to Refund Unearned Fees: Findings indicated that Poris retained client funds despite failing to complete the work associated with those fees.
A Pattern of Professional Decline
The 2025 disbarment was the final step in a period of increasing administrative and professional non-compliance:
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Involuntary Inactive Status: In early 2025, as the disciplinary case progressed, Poris was placed on involuntary inactive status by the State Bar Court due to his failure to file a response to the charges.
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Administrative Failures: Even prior to the disbarment order, Poris was listed as “Not Eligible to Practice Law” because he had failed to pay mandatory bar membership fees and failed to comply with MCLE (Minimum Continuing Legal Education) requirements.
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Loss of Professional Standing: Admitted to the Bar in 2007, Poris had practiced for 18 years before his license was permanently revoked.
The Final Sanction: Permanent Disbarment
The California Supreme Court’s order finalized the maximum professional penalty available to the State Bar:
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Permanent Disbarment: Timothy Alan Poris is now prohibited from practicing law in California. His name has been officially stricken from the roll of attorneys.
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Effective Date: August 22, 2025.
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Consumer Protection: The court emphasized that when an attorney ignores the disciplinary system, disbarment is the only way to ensure the public is protected from further neglect.
Conclusion: The High Cost of Non-Compliance
The case of Timothy Alan Poris serves as a reminder that the State Bar of California treats a lack of response as a major ethical failure. By failing to defend himself or cooperate with the investigation, Poris essentially forfeited his privilege to practice law. This “default” process ensures that attorneys cannot avoid the consequences of misconduct by simply ignoring the system.
