A San Francisco attorney who narrowly avoided being disbarred because of fraud allegations in 2018 has been stripped of his law license for lying to investigators, according to the State Bar of California.
The California Supreme Court found Drexel Andrew Bradshaw “culpable of multiple counts of misconduct involving moral turpitude” and concluded “that disbarment is necessary to protect the public and the integrity of the legal profession,” the Court said in a rare and scathing assessment.
The findings center around Bradshaw’s work for an elderly client who put him and his law firm, Bradshaw and Associates P.C., in charge of her estate when she became incapacitated in 2013. He then created a construction company and billed the trust for $150,000 in work without making competitive bids, which was a violation of his fiduciary responsibility. He also took out multiple reverse mortgages on the client’s home to finance some of the work.
He was investigated for three allegations of misconduct in 2018, leading to a judge’s recommendation that he be disbarred. But an appeals panel was split and decided that he should only face a six-month suspension.
The State Bar, which sought disbarment, asked the Supreme Court to review the decision. The Court issued its opinion on July 3 and largely agreed with the original trial judge.
Attempts to reach Bradshaw were unsuccessful. A phone number listed for his law office, Bradshaw and Associates P.C., was disconnected, and his business’ website was listed for sale.
“Regrettably, Bradshaw has shown himself unable to honor the duties of honesty and loyalty inherent in the role of attorney and fiduciary, and we find no indication in the record of his capacity or willingness to reform.” Justice Goodwin Liu
The State Bar Court is an administrative arm of the Supreme Court and acts in disciplinary matters for licensed lawyers, who are technically officers of the court.
The Court found that even if the construction work was priced competitively, Bradshaw’s willful concealment of his financial relationship with the construction company, Bay Construction Inc., had been unacceptable.
Bradshaw was separately ordered in 2024 by the State Bar Court’s Hearing Department to pay the beneficiaries of the trust $1.85 million plus interest. That case was still pending as of Sunday.
The Supreme Court’s opinion was authored by Justice Goodwin Liu.
“Because the totality of the circumstances shows that Bradshaw has repeatedly failed to uphold the most basic duties of an attorney, we are compelled to find him unfit to serve as a member of the bar or an officer of the court,” Liu wrote. “Regrettably, Bradshaw has shown himself unable to honor the duties of honesty and loyalty inherent in the role of attorney and fiduciary, and we find no indication in the record of his capacity or willingness to reform.”
State Bar Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona said the Court’s release of an opinion was a notable rebuke of Bradshaw’s actions that should serve as a reminder to other attorneys.
“As an attorney serving as trustee, Mr. Bradshaw was in a position of trust,” Cardona said. “He breached that trust in an attempt to enrich himself at the expense of a highly vulnerable elderly victim and lied in an effort to conceal his breach,” he said.
Bradshaw’s disbarment will be effective Aug. 2, which is 30 days after Thursday’s ruling.