Local News in Brief : Suspended Lawyer Gets Sentence for Practicing
A Woodland Hills lawyer, suspended by the state Supreme Court after being convicted of conspiracy to sell cocaine, pleaded no contest Monday to a charge of practicing law without a license.
At a hearing before San Fernando Municipal Judge Michael S. Luros, Richard C. Hepps, 48, of Marina del Rey, agreed to perform 50 hours of community service and not to practice law until he is reinstated by the state bar.
Hepps was also required to repay the $300 that he received from a client he was to have represented in court Feb. 18. On that day, Hepps was ordered arrested by San Fernando Municipal Court Commissioner Charles L. Peven, who recalled Hepps’ suspension.
The California Supreme Court suspended Hepps’ license in December, 1982, after he was convicted in Los Angeles Superior Court of one count of conspiracy to sell cocaine. The suspension is effective until Aug. 29, according to court documents.
A second charge of petty theft for accepting the $300 to represent his client was dropped in the plea bargain.
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