Charged by the State Bar with 14 counts of violating ethics rules and California law for stealing millions of dollars from his clients, Girardi in June was disbarred by the state’s top court, ordered to pay some of those clients more than $2 million and assessed $5 million in sanctions and costs. The man and his firm were forced into bankruptcy.

“It’s a staggering announcement. It’s bad to miss one clue or to miss two clues. To open 138 disciplinary matters and never get to ground is simply breathtaking,” Nora Freeman Engstrom, a Stanford Law professor specializing in legal ethics, said in an email. Freeman Engstrom noted that three of the 205 matters resulted in Girardi’s disbarment and 64 others were dismissed due to his disbarment.