A disbarred Salt Lake attorney will be spared from going to prison so that he can pay back more than $56,000 in client funds.
In January, Lewis R. Hansen, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful dealing of property by a fiduciary, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.But during a sentencing hearing March 19, 3rd District Judge Timothy Hanson placed Hansen on probation and ordered him to pay at least $800 a month in restitution to his victims. Hansen will also have to complete 500 hours of community service.
In exchange for Hansen's guilty plea, prosecutors dropped four counts of theft, a second-degree felony, one count of theft, a third-degree felony, and one count of theft, a class A misdemeanor.
Hansen abandoned his West Valley law practice in the summer of 1996, leaving some 150 clients with pending civil and criminal matters, according to the Utah State Bar Association. Volunteer attorneys took over his practice. Hansen was disbarred in February 1997.
According to bar officials, Hansen told his legal secretary and his estranged wife upon leaving his practice that he was awash in financial and other problems and wanted to make a new start.
Among the allegations, Hansen:
Failed to disburse $6,000 according to a client's instructions after settling a traffic accident claim.
Failed to pay $30,000 from a settlement to a client left a quadriplegic in a personal injury claim.
Failed to pay a client $15,000 in a personal injury settlement involving the client's son.