Getting
disbarred
shouldn’t
be
a
proud
moment
in
any
lawyer’s
career:
perjury,
dishonesty,
and
disobeying
court
orders
—
among
other
things
—
tends
to
exceed
the
zealous
representation
part
of
the
job.
But
there
can
be
a
path
to
redemption.
We
are
more
than
who
we
are
at
our
worst
points,
and
that
goes
for
lawyers
as
much
as
anyone
else.
New
Jersey’s
Supreme
Court
recognizes
that,
and
ABA
Journal
has
coverage:
Former
New
Jersey
lawyers
who
are
disbarred
will
in
most
cases
be
allowed
to
apply
for
reinstatement
after
five
years,
the
New
Jersey
Supreme
Court
has
decided.The
New
Jersey
Supreme
Court’s
Oct.
15
order
and
determination
reject
the
approach
that
it
adopted
in
a
1979
case
that
imposed
automatic
and
permanent
disbarment
for
knowing
misappropriation
of
funds.
Now,
lawyers
disbarred
for
misappropriation,
as
well
as
lawyers
disbarred
for
other
reasons,
can
apply
for
readmission
in
five
years
as
long
as
several
conditions
are
met.
Those
required
conditions
include
proving
that
the
attorney
is
fit
to
practice
law,
taking
and
passing
the
bar
and
MPRE,
completing
specific
CLEs,
and
filing
a
statement
of
restitution.
Practicing
after
disbarment
is
also
a
privilege
and
not
a
right
—
lawyers
whose
disbarments
stem
from
egregious
misconduct
would
be
better
off
investing
their
time
and
money
in
bringing
back
Enron
than
their
practice.
Overturning
45-Year
Precedent,
New
Jersey
Gives
Disbarred
Lawyers
Second
Chance
[ABA
Journal]
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
cannot
swim, a
published
author
on
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected] and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.