Attorney Mario Valenzuela of Tucson; ethical dwarf

The state of Arizona presented Mario V. Valenzuela with a law license in 1979 after he graduated from Suffolk University Law School. 

The Arizona State Bar found Mario guilty of the following misconduct.

In one matter, Mario was hired to represent a client in a personal injury case. The fee agreement granted Mario a power of attorney to settle the case if his client became unable for any reason during the course of the case.

Subsequently, the client became incarcerated and was later housed in the psychiatric unit of the Arizona State Hospital.

Mario learned that his client had been deemed mentally incompetent, and was unsuccessful in contacting him. Mario feared the case would languish, so he settled the case and signed his client’s name on the settlement draft and release (without indicating that he had signed for his client).

Mario then allowed a notary public to illegally notarize the release for the insurance company, wherein it falsely stated that the client had personally appeared before the notary to sign the release.

As a consequence of his misconduct, the cheerleaders of Attorney Misfits sitting on the Arizona Supreme Court punished Mario by gifting him with a complimentary censure.

As we speak (ca. September 2013) Mario continues to practice in the Tucson, Arizona area.