Bar Admission Denied In Louisiana

The Louisiana Supreme Court denied reconsideration of an application for bar admission without opinion.

Justice Weimer concurred and assigned reasons 

While I hesitate to concur and thereby draw further attention to this unfortunate situation, as respectfully as I can say it, the assumption should not be made that admission was denied solely due to past substance abuse. This case is not analogous to others in which conditional admission has been granted following a demonstrated period of recovery. Certainly, the record of substance abuse is extensive and gives one pause when reviewing this application. However, recent indications are that the substance abuse has been eradicated from the applicant’s present life, which is commendable. Furthermore, the recognition and support the applicant has received from members of the legal community are also encouraging indicators. If one views this application only from the standpoint of the applicant’s ongoing recovery from substance abuse, however, the full picture does not emerge. What distinguishes this case from others in which conditional admission has been granted is the applicant’s extensive criminal record. I readily recognize there may be an interrelationship between the applicant’s substance abuse and multiple DUI convictions. However, at the risk of stating the obvious, multiple instances of criminal conduct endangering the safety of the public stand separate and apart from substance abuse and can not be disregarded…

As a result of this “damning” criminal record, distinguishing this matter from others dealing solely with substance abuse is straightforward. Thus, there is no inconsistency or arbitrariness in the court’s present denial of admission.

Justice Crichton, joined by Justice Knoll, dissented

After the Committee on Bar Admissions and the applicant filed a joint petition for conditional admission, this Court appointed a Commissioner to conduct a hearing into the issues surrounding the character and fitness of this petitioner. The Commissioner recommended we grant conditional admission after hearing all the evidence. The evidence presented to the commissioner was persuasive, but I found two letters to be particularly compelling. One letter was from a federal magistrate judge for whom petitioner formerly clerked, and the other was written by the federal district judge who presently employs petitioner as a law clerk. These letters demonstrate in a convincing fashion that petitioner has the strong support of the judges, both of whom are aware of petitioner’s history and the challenges he faces.

The dissenting justices would conditionally admit the applicant. (Mike Frisch)