Pacifica Attorney May Lose License

One attorney from Pacifica is at risk of losing her law license because she secretly married an elderly, terminally ill client and then took advantage of his savings after his death.

Linda Lowney started representing Thor Tollefson in 2002 when she prepared his will and a trust that named his sister and nieces as heirs to his estate. In 2005, she became romantically involved with Tollefson, and got him to sign over $300,000 in funds for her to use to take care of him. The two were married in 2006, and by 2007, Tollefson was complaining that Lowney was not taking care of him and he was moved into a senior care facility. Tollefson died in 2007. When Thor passed away, Lowney mismanaged savings that Thor had intended for his nieces.  For the next four years, a legal battle followed between Lowney and his nieces over his estate.

A state Bar Court hearing judge recommended Lowney’s disbarment, but Lowney appealed, arguing that she should only be suspended for a year because she had practiced law for 32 years without discipline.

See Pacifica Attorney Faces Disbarment, KTVU.com, Apr. 6, 2012.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.