John Victor Bell
On the New York attorney register since 1983 · office in Costa Mesa, CA
PlainAttorney’s reading of the public register file, not a court record.
- Registration No.
- 1846542
- Admitted
- 1983 · Second Department
- Status
- Delinquent
- Next registration
- Jan 2027
John Victor Bell is delinquent on the New York attorney register file of Sep 29, 2026. Admitted in 1983 in the Second Department, with an office in Costa Mesa, CA; next registration due Jan 2027. The status is the same in all 3 files we hold. The month shown is the next cycle’s; the delinquency concerns an earlier registration the register did not receive.
What this status means on the register
On the register, “Delinquent” means the attorney has a registration the register shows as due and not received. Under the rule a failure to register results in referral to the Appellate Division for disciplinary action; the register does not show whether a given attorney was referred.
- Delinquent unchanged
- Delinquent unchanged
- Delinquent the first file we hold
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; the Jul 3, 2026 and Aug 6, 2026 files for the history.
Others who list this employer on the register
8 other attorneys list Messner Reeves LLP or one of its other names as their employer on the register; 1 of them was admitted before 1983, and 2 of the 9 give an office in Costa Mesa, CA. The 5 whose admission is closest to 1983, earliest first:
| Attorney | Admitted | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Timothy R. Owen | 1982 | Currently registered |
| David A. Friedman | 1983 | Delinquent |
| Douglas Charles Wolanske | 1997 | Currently registered |
| Mikhail Shah | 2014 | Due to re‑register |
| Patricia Marie Comblo | 2015 | Currently registered |
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; employer spellings merged (methodology).
Where this record sits on the register
John Victor Bell studied at St. John’s University School of Law (the register spells it “St. Johns University School of Law”). 3,059 of its 15,595 living graduates on the register were admitted in the 1980s, as John Victor Bell was.
- Same law school
- 15,595living graduates; 88.6% registered (current or due), against 87.1% overall
- Office in Costa Mesa, CA
- 93living registrants (outside New York State)
Of the 93 living registrants with an office in Costa Mesa, CA, 5 were admitted before 1983 and 87 after.
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; living registrants only.
Questions this record leads to
- St. John’s University School of Law graduates on the register15,595 living, 88.6% registered.
- New York-admitted attorneys in Costa Mesa, CA93 living registrants give an office there.
- Admitted in 19835,424 people admitted in 1983 are on the register, 2,263 of them through the Second Department.
- Every registration that reads “Delinquent”15,500 on the register file of Sep 29, 2026, by decade of admission.
- How to complain about a New York lawyerThe grievance committee for each county, and what it can do.
How to confirm it officially
For a statement of John Victor Bell’s standing, contact the Attorney Registration Unit of the NY Office of Court Administration (nycourts.gov/attorneys), or ask the Appellate Division, Second Department, which admitted John Victor Bell in 1983. The register places the office outside New York, so a complaint would go to that department’s grievance committee (22 NYCRR 1240.7(a)(2)).
This page reads the register file of Sep 29, 2026, and the court system’s own search can be newer; the register shows only the current value, so a suspension that ended before the files we hold, or a censure, leaves no trace here (Appellate Division decisions are published through the court system’s Law Reporting Bureau).