Disbarment looms for Ineptitude

Last week, I received my monthly edition of the California Bar Journal. At the top of this month’s publication was a small box that said, “Inside this month: Disbarment looms for ineptitude.” I love the Discipline section. Its like the crime blotter for lawyers. The lead discipline story was about a man said to have “significantly harmed his clients and the public” who was charged with 34 counts of misconduct. Wow. You’ve got to be really bad...luckily, he can and is still practicing…in Indiana.

One thing that gets me is that when you are suspended, they always require you take the MPRE before they will lift the suspension. If I recall correctly, the secret to passing the MPRE has nothing to do with being moral, but everything to do with knowing what you can get away with. And maybe that’s what we’re trying to teach them; know the line, walk the line, just don’t cross the line, but if you do cross the line, go practice in Indiana.