Paso Robles attorney accused of improper charges

July 27, 2012

The California State Bar ruled a Paso Robles attorney improperly collected a fee from a client in 2008  and has threatened to suspend the attorney’s license for the second time in recent years. [Tribune]

The state bar judge determined Adam Ranald Fairbairn engaged in a scheme with an executor of an estate to violate probate rules and illegally obtain a $10,000 fee, which he later refused to return.

Paula Fisk hired Fairbairn to help her with her aunt Marilyn Neal’s estate of which she was the executor. Fisk wanted a portion of her aunt’s mineral rights which Neal had left to her two children. In a letter, Fairbairn demanded $20,000 from Neal’s children to be paid in fees to himself and Fisk or he threatened to take part of Neal’s heir’s mineral rights. One of the heirs paid the other did not.

Judge Pat McElroy found Fairbairn had committed an act of moral turpitude, meaning he did something dishonest or corrupt by professional standards and recommended a two-year suspension of Fairbairn’s license.

Fairbairn’s license was previously suspended after he fired a gun at two men trying to reposes his truck in 2006.


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I normally disapprove of “armchair” diagnoses, but this one is another no-brainer! Please folks, get yourself edumacated about these types of predators that permeate EVERY stratum of our society. They have no conscience, no remorse, and are basically concerned with one thing, and one thing only: getting over. They comprise about 4-5% of our population, generally found predominantly in males, but the fair sex is not immune.There is no “cure,” no meds are effective, and like Lady GaGa would say: they

are born that way There are three books that will make this all very, very clear and give you the info you need to recognize the syndrome when you run across it; and you will sooner or later. “The Sociopath Next Door” by Martha Stout is a non-technical read and a good one. The other two are by Robert Hare who is “THE”world recognized expert on this disorder:: “Snakes in Suits” and the classic, must read for a degree work “Without Conscience.”


Unbelievable!! I was taking a legal class at Cuesta when we had to observe a trial. I chose Mr. Fairbairn’s trial because I thought it would be very interesting. It was, to say the least. I would have to say that the “good ol’ boy” network had to be at work when he was sentenced. He sat there everyday of the trial with a smug look on his face and when prosecuting witnesses would give their testimony, he would look at his lawyer incrediously as if the witnesses were crazy. The main witnesses were a person from the finance company company (GMAC, if I remember) and a couple of repo guys. The GMAC person was an idiot and probably had a hard time remembering why people were asking him questions. The repo guys kind of were rough looking and it didn’t look like the jury was very believing of them, probably because of their looks because they seemed credible to me.


If I remember right, he was found guilty of three felonies, one misdemeanor, and not guilty of one felony. How on earth could his license only be suspended for two years.


His whole defense was that he had no idea they were repo men because ne had no knowledge that his truck was in threat of repo (after having pulled it out of repossession already months earlier) and he thought they were there to harm him or his family. What a liar!!! Hopefully, this time he will get his license taken away.


First we have the assault with a firearm-no real consequences to that since he is associated with the good ol boy legal system. If it were an indigent they may still be in prison. Now we have a robbery, plain and simple, that will probably be adjudicated within the system with no real consequences. How many indigents do you think there might be in prison serving long terms for violations that involved lesser amounts of money than this.

I guess what everyone can expect next is the combination of the two violations and we will see where Fairbarin has committed an armed robbery. I hope that no one gets hurt. Then of course everyone will say “how did this happen?

Well Judge McElroy, what do you have to say about this?


“Fairbairn’s license was previously suspended after he fired a gun at two men trying to reposes his truck in 2006.”


WTF! This man seems to be somewhat of a head case. Hope we do not see him in the headlines because he went off the deep end taking others with him.


It’s these 95% of lawyers that make the rest of them look bad.


95% plus one that I used and got screwed by. God Bless