Professor Pitfalls

One of the perils of moving from practice to academia led to the following sanction reported in this month’s California Bar Journal:

[An attorney] was suspended for one year, stayed, placed on one year of probationwith a 30-day actual suspension, and he was ordered to take the MPREwithin one year. The order took effect Sept. 26, 2008.

  [He] left his law firm in 2004 to become a professor at Whittier Law School.However, he did not notify the State Bar of a change of address. Helater was suspended for failing to complete MCLE requirements or paybar dues. 

While suspended, he handled a case and conducted adeposition. He paid his bar fees and complied with the MCLE requirementthe day after the deposition and was reinstated.

  [He] admitted he did not change his address and he practiced whilesuspended. However, the bar court declined to find his actions entailedmoral turpitude, as charged by the bar. [He]argued that he wasunaware of his suspension through negligence. 

In mitigation,he cooperated with the bar’s investigation, immediately paid his dueswhen he became aware of the suspension, presented favorable referenceletters and has done extensive pro bono work.

Charges of moral turpitude? Base, vile and depraved? I think this falls short of conduct that offends the moral code of mankind. (Mike Frisch)