Two Names, Two Licenses

The Louisiana Disciplinary Board has recommended that the reinstatement petition of a disbarred attorney be denied.

The petitioner was disbarred in 1977 in the wake of his federal conviction for conspiracy to obstruct justice. What happened next is perhaps a more significant impediment to his reinstatement.

After the Louisiana disbarment, the petitioner applied for admission to the Georgia Bar under a different name. He failed to disclose his felony conviction and his prior admission to and disbarment from Louisiana.

Georgia admitted him under the different name but found out about his prior record. He then voluntarily surrendered his Georgia license.

He also was convicted of mail fraud.

All of these incidents took place in the 1970s. He was abusing alcohol at the time and now has established a sober lifestyle. The board nonetheless found he had not established that reinstatement is appropriate. (Mike Frisch)