Supreme Court Disbars Female Lawyer

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Posted March 1 , 2011; By Darylle Evie Mae C. Catabay
The Supreme Court recently ordered the disbarment of a female lawyer for gross conduct and willful disobedience
of the Courts orders after finding that the latter continued to practice law despite a five-year suspension order,
and failed to comply with its resolutions.
In a six-page En Banc per curiam decision, the Supreme Court ordered the name of Atty. Luna B. Avance stricken
off from the Roll of Attorneys. It likewise directed that a copy of the decision be attached to her personal record
with the Office of the Bar Confidant and be furnished to all chapters of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and
to all courts of the land.
Previously, Avance was suspended from the practice of law for five years and ordered to return P3,900 to her
client in an En Banc decision dated December 11, 2003 after she was found guilty of gross misconduct for
abandoning her client in bad faith and failing to comply with the Courts orders.
While still suspended, however, Avance appeared in three cases as Atty. Liezl Tanglao as stated in a letterreport dated November 12, 2007 of Judge Consuelo Amog-Bocar, presiding Judge of the RTC of Iba, Zambales,
Branch 71, to then Court Administrator Christopher O. Lock.

In a resolution dated April 9, 2008, the Court ordered Avance to comment on Judge Amog-Bocars letter-report.
However, she failed to file the required comment. On June 10, 2009, Court reiterated its order. Despite receipt of
the Courts two resolutions, she still failed to comply.
On September 29, 2009, the Court thus issued a resolution finding Avance guilty of indirect contempt and
ordering her to pay a fine amounting to P30,000. It also sternly warned her that a repetition of the same or
similar infractions will be dealt with more severely. Despite due notice, she failed to pay the fine.
In view of the foregoing, the Court found Avance unfit to continue as a member of the bar. It held that
respondents conduct evidently fell short of what is expected of her as an officer of the court as she obviously
possesses a habit of defying this Courts orders. She willfully disobeyed this Court when she continued her law
practice despite the five-year suspension order against her and even misrepresented herself to be another person
in order to evade said penalty. Thereafter, when she was twice ordered to comment on her continued law
practice while still suspended, nothing was heard from her despite receipt of two Resolutions form this Court.
Neither did she pay the P30,000 fine imposed in the September 29, 2009 Resolution. (A.C. No. 534, Santeco v.
Avance et al, February 22, 2011)
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