Speedy Reinstatement

An attorney was convicted of nine counts of mail fraud and two counts of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from unlawful activity. The crimes related to his law practice. He was sentenced to a 24 month period of imprisonment that he began serving in November 2003. He was disbarred by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, with the order made retroactive to 2000. Thus, he was eligible to petition for reinstatement in 2005.

The court recently adopted the recommendation of its Disciplinary Board to reinstate the lawyer. The matter proceeded with a dispatch that would never be possible in the District of Columbia. The hearing committee heard the matter on October 3, 2007 and issued a favorable report within the month. The board approved the committee’s favorable recommendation in six weeks. The court took less than three months thereafter to order reinstatement. Disciplnary Counsel did not oppose reinstatement. Thus, the attorney has returned to the bar within three years of his release from prison. (Mike Frisch)