24 Years After

A motion to disbar an attorney based on a 1989 felony conviction was denied by the Mississippi Supreme Court.

The court held such as sanction was not warranted

because disbarring an attorney approximately twenty-four years after his conviction and thirteen years after the Mississippi Bar restored him from inactive to active status, fails to serve the purposes of the Rules of Discipline…

There was no evidence that the aggravated assault conviction was concealed when the attorney was granted active status. The opinion does not explain why the Bar did not act until 2012.

The court characterized disbarment at this juncture as a harsh, unjust and ineffective sanction.

The attorney has not been the subject of discipline  and presently serves as chair of the Senior Lawyers Section of the Mississippi Bar Association. (Mike Frisch)