Psychoanalysis Not Required For Reinstatement

The Arizona Supreme Court disagreed with a hearing panel’s unfavorable recommendation and reinstated an attorney who was suspended for six months and a day in 2008 for, among other things, passing off a copy of a will as the original.

The court had a number of rather interesting observations about its reinstatement process, which “does not necessarily require the peeling back of multiple layers of causation and psychoanalysis.”

Rather, the petitioner must demonstrate that the “causal weakness” that led to ethical violations must be overcome.

The court also noted that “community service, religious commitment, and meditative reflection are not a panacea” but it seems to have sufficed here. (Mike Frisch)