Legal Ethics
Texas Law Firm Operator Gets 10 Years of Probation in Criminal UPL Case
Posted May 18, 2009, 02:13 pm CST
By Martha Neil
A high-profile Texas defendant will get 10 years of probation for operating a law firm without a law license.
Democratic fundraiser Mauricio Celis had been on house arrest and looking at a year in jail. However, his planned sentence in the Corpus Christi case, which was never finalized, was lightened by District Judge Manuel Bañales after the trial judge was removed for showing bias, and now includes only probation and an undetermined amount of restitution, reports the Caller-Times.
Celis reportedly plans to appeal his February conviction.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: "Texas Fundraiser Convicted on 14 of 22 Counts in Criminal UPL Case"
ABAJournal.com (2007): "Group Sues Texas Lawyers Who Practiced With Businessman"