What can a Lawyer do After Disbarment?
The contents of this web page are for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing you read is intended to be legal advice. Please review our disclaimer before taking action based upon anything you read or see.
Disbarment is a disciplinary process a lawyer goes through when he is found guilty of a serious offense. At this point, the lawyer will never be allowed to practice or represent his clients. Also, he will be removed from his state’s bar association. In all, disbarment comes with diverse restrictions on a lawyer. But that’s not the stopping point. Such a lawyer can engage in other legal activities aside from the full practice of law. Thus, we have made this post to aid you.
Furthermore, understanding the major causes of disbarment is also essential. This will help you to avoid it, as well as the consequences involved. From research, it has been observed that the major causes of disbarment include unethical conduct, engagement in crime, fraudulent activities, etc. Come along as we elaborate more on this below.
What can a Lawyer do After Disbarment?
Some things a lawyer can do after disbarment include:
1. Working as a legal consultant
After disbarment, a lawyer can be a legal consultant for firms and individuals. This is valid, as their wealth of experience in the legal field will be very useful here.
2. Lecturing
Upon disbarment, you can take up a job as a lecturer in the law department of diverse institutions. This will help you impact your knowledge of potential attorneys who are still in school.
3. Becoming a legal writer
If you have good knowledge in the field of writing, you can work as a legal writer after disbarment. This also encompasses the publishing of law books, journals, etc. Furthermore, you can become a freelance legal writer.
4. Working as a legal mediator
Many lawyers are trained to mediate between clients when handling cases. Thus, a disbarred lawyer can easily work as a legal mediator. This will further entail helping their clients resolve disputes without a judge’s intervention.
5. Law technology
The growth of technology is currently rapid, and this extends to the field of law. Thus, a disbarred lawyer can work as a law technology expert. And those with advanced tech skills can also develop legal software for use in the courtroom.
6. Working as a legal advocate
In today’s society, the degree of injustice tends to rise. Thus, a disbarred lawyer can work as a legal advocate. This will help to provide fair treatment of everyone in the society.
Consequences of Disbarment of a Lawyer
Upon learning about what you can do upon disbarment as a lawyer, it’s best to understand the consequences involved. This includes:
1. Loss of career reputation
The first consequence of disbarment of a lawyer is a loss of career reputation. This compounds the problems of such a lawyer by making potential clients and employers avoid him.
2. Financial difficulties
Like loss of career reputation, disbarment also leads to diverse financial difficulties for the lawyer involved. The impact will also be massive for a lawyer with no other income source besides his legal practice.
3. Depression and shame
Many lawyers who go through disbarment are usually victims of depression and shame. This is valid, as the process is usually disgraceful and connotes failure on the part of the lawyer. Also, the reduction of their respect in the public community can affect their mental health immensely.
4. Downgrade of the justice system
The disbarment of a lawyer usually gets public recognition. Thus, the misconduct and disbarment of a lawyer can make some individuals lose faith in the justice system. Potential clients will also be skeptical about working with lawyers due to this.
5. Shortage of legal experts
Disbarment also needs more legal experts. This is valid, as lawyers who are found guilty leave the legal field, together with their wealth of experience.
6. Negative impact on the clients
The act of disbarring a lawyer also hurts his clients. This is valid as such clients must look for a new lawyer to represent them in their case. At this point, the opposing party may also take advantage of this defect and have unfair judgment on the case.
My Opinion
Disbarment comes with diverse consequences for a lawyer. Those guilty of misconduct and fall into disbarment can suffer diverse issues such as loss of income, destruction of career reputation, etc.
This can further result in difficulty in getting reasonable engagements in the legal field. But on the other hand, this isn’t the end of the road. After disbarment, you can work in diverse areas, as highlighted above. Also, upon adherence, you can easily find your feet again after disbarment.
References
- Finkelstein, Brian; Should Permanent Disbarment be Permanent?: https://web.archive.org/web/20081112072221/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3975/is_200707/ai_n19511820/pg_2
- McShea, Sarah; Automatic Disbarment for Felony Convictions: http://www.newyorklegalethics.com/automatic-disbarment-for-felony-convictions-time-to-rethink-old-rule/
I’m a driven and accomplished law graduate and post-graduate, passionate about sharing my legal expertise via my blog. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of London (UK) and a Master’s in Law from the University of Derby (UK). Both gave me the foundational knowledge and skills to excel in my chosen career path.
Throughout my academic journey, I have gained extensive knowledge in various fields of Law, including Corporate and Business Law in the USA, Criminal Law, International Law, US Copyright law, and most importantly, American Constitutional law.
Comments are closed.