VENTURA : Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Charges

A Ventura lawyer, whose license to practice law had been suspended for non-payment of State Bar fees, pleaded guilty Thursday to the unauthorized practice of law.

Kenneth G. Makature, 55, was charged after he represented clients in court in September while his license was under suspension for failing to pay the annual $478 fee.

At that court hearing, a prosecutor and a bailiff smelled what they believed to be alcohol on Makature’s breath and a judge ordered him to take a breath test, which he refused, court documents stated.

Makature, whose license was reinstated Oct. 14, pleaded guilty to three counts of unauthorized practice of law; three other counts were dropped. He will be sentenced May 21 by Judge Charles W. Campbell Jr.

Three of the counts dealt with three appearances he made on a criminal case and the remainder were in connection with work he did on cases from his office, Deputy Dist. Atty. Matthew Hardy said.

The case was filed as a felony, but the judge has the option of reducing it to a misdemeanor at the time of sentencing, Hardy said. The maximum penalty Makature could face is up to a year in jail, he said.

Deputy Public Defender Neil Quinn, who represented Makature in court, said he expects the charge to be reduced to a misdemeanor. The State Bar of California will be notified of the conviction as required, Quinn said.

According to bar records, Makature was licensed to practice law in California in 1964. The suspension in August marked the fourth time that he was suspended for non-payment of bar membership dues, records show.