AUSTIN - The State Bar of Texas released its disciplinary actions earlier this month, showing two attorneys have been suspended while one was disbarred.
On Sept. 22, Curtis Lilly of Fort Worth was disbarred. An evidentiary panel found that on March 25, 2022, the complainant hired Lilly to represent her son, a juvenile at the time of representation, in a criminal matter. The complainant paid $1,500 for the representation.
Lilly failed to keep the complainant reasonably informed about the status of her son’s criminal matter and failed to promptly comply with reasonable requests for information from the complainant.
Lilly also failed to deposit legal fees paid by the complainant in a separate trust account and failed to hold funds belonging to clients separate from Lilly’s own property.
On Sept. 3, John Joseph Klevenhagen III of Houston accepted a three-year probated suspension that became effective on Sept. 15. An evidentiary panel found that Klevenhagen neglected the legal matter entrusted to him, failed to keep his client reasonably informed about the status of their legal matter and failed to promptly comply with reasonable requests for information, and failed to explain a legal matter to the extent reasonably necessary to permit his client to make informed decisions regarding the representation.
Upon request by his client, Klevenhagen also failed to promptly render a full accounting regarding such funds and, upon termination of representation, failed to refund advance payments of fees that had not been earned.
Klevenhagen also failed to timely furnish to the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel a response or other information as required by the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure.
On Aug. 29, Myron Masao Kamihara of Pflugerville accepted a six month fully probated suspension beginning on Sept. 1. An investigatory panel found that between August of 2022 and October of 2024 Kamihara worked as an associate attorney for a law firm in Cedar Park.
During his employment, and without the knowledge or consent of the Cedar Park law firm, Kamihara engaged in independent contract work for a separate national law firm.
While representing clients for the national law firm, Kamihara regularly used his Cedar Park law firm email account and letterhead to conduct business for the national law firm.
Further, Kamihara maintained his confidential client files with the national law firm on the Cedar Park law firm’s server without first obtaining the client’s permission to do so. By doing this, Kamihara placed his client’s private information in a location that could be accessed by any member of the Cedar Park law firm.
