The California State Bar recently handed down two disciplinary actions in Santa Barbara County: a cease and desist order to Crystal Ervin and Tony Coles and the disbarment of Micah David Fargey.
Ervin and Coles were contacted by the State Bar in regards to the unauthorized practice of law. The duo operates out of Santa Maria and offers legal assistance on their website, C4 Legal Assistance, without any authorization or qualifications to do so, the agency said. Services offered by C4 Legal Assistance include family law, mediation, and estate planning.
In accordance with California state law, the pair were contacted and asked to cease their operations. If they do not, legal action may be undertaken. Ervin and Coles declined to comment.
Micah Fargey worked as a California lawyer for 17 years and operated out of an office in downtown Santa Barbara. His disbarment comes after a slew of charges regarding his conduct while performing duties for a specific client.
According to the State Bar, Fargey failed to perform appropriate legal services, remain in contact with the client, inform her that he had terminated their agreement, return funds paid to him, and cooperate in the State Bar’s investigation.
The client had hired Fargey to provide legal advice and file a lawsuit against her former employer. Fargey was also ordered to pay $5,000 in sanctions to the Client Security Fund of the California State Bar. This fund provides compensation to clients who have been wronged by a California lawyer, the agency said.
Fargey had previously been disbarred from Washington State as well as Oregon in 2022. Fargey was disbarred in Oregon due to violations of failing to return client property and refund unearned fees, committing criminal acts, and failing to respond to information requests from a disciplinary authority. He could not be reached for comment.
[Update: Thu., June 15, 2023] Following the publication of this story, Tony Coles of C4 Legal Assistance issued the following response, which has been edited for clarity and length:
“While it is true C4 Legal Document Assistance and Mediation, Crystal Ervin and Tony Coles received a “Cease and Desist” in the unauthorized Practice of Law, it is not true that our office is under threat of closing or in danger of any further action.
“In reality the cease and desist was related to technical language that we found easy to comply with and of little consequence to our business practices. The Bar stated in their ruling, “Please note that the State Bar does not have authority to discontinue providing your services.” So, C4 Legal Document Assistance and Mediation will continue to offer middle- and low-income (really any) families of the Santa Maria Valle area, self-directed support Legal Document and mediated services, lawfully and within the guidelines of California legal statutes. That said, we have taken the State Bar’s request seriously and have made the adjustments to our business as suggested and strengthened our service.”