Kansas and Missouri Attorneys – Top Reasons for Losing Your Law License

As with all professions that require a license, attorneys are held to a certain standard that must be adhered to in order to continue the practice of law year after year.  Many attorneys lose their law license for conduct that could have easily been prevented.  The conduct in question may not have been something you thought would put you at risk for disciplinary action, but when a client or another attorney files a complaint against you with the state bar association, you are at the discretion of a board that will scrutinize your behavior in great detail.  To better understand what you could be facing, you should do your best to avoid the mistakes described below.

  • Legal Malpractice – If a client is not satisfied with his or her legal representation, that client may file a complaint with your state bar association.  Oftentimes, clients do not always have valid allegations, but sometimes they do.  A common mistake attorneys make is to not properly calendar key events.  For example, if you are a plaintiff’s attorney and have a case where the statute of limitations is about to run, and you do not file the case on time, you are at risk for a malpractice complaint.  You have now prevented that client’s ability to bring a particular cause of action.  This mistake can be easily prevented by having a calendaring system that will alert you and your support staff to file a case on time.
  • Improper Billing Practices – Many attorneys do not properly keep client funds separate from other business accounts or their own personal accounts.  It is extremely important to document all client expenses and ensure client funds are in a proper escrow account.  If attorneys are short-staffed, they may not have an experienced bookkeeper to handle this very important aspect of a law firm.
  • Criminal Convictions – Not all criminal convictions will get you disbarred, however, depending on the severity of the conviction, you will at least be subject to some disciplinary action.  For example, violent crime may be grounds for losing your license, but a DUI or misdemeanor drug possession charge may not.  If you are convicted of a DUI or misdemeanor drug possession charge, the disciplinary board may require you to go through drug treatment or counseling.  However, if you have repeated offenses, you may very well lose your law license.
  • Not Properly Supervising Support Staff – As attorneys get busier and busier, they tend to forget that they are responsible for the conduct of their paralegals, law clerks and secretaries.  Improper supervision can subject you to disciplinary action.  For example, if you allow your paralegal to offer minimal advice to clients, this becomes the unauthorized practice of law, even if it’s something that seems so miniscule, such as advising a client as to whether he or she may have a good case.

These violations listed above are certainly not the only ways to lose your law license, but they do occur quite often among the legal community.  Good organizational skills will prevent all of the issues above except for criminal convictions.  Therefore, if you do your best to follow the law and ensure your law practice is organized, you will not be putting your law license at risk.

Contact the Sanger Law Office Today to Schedule Your Free Consultation

If your law license is at risk, you need the help of a professional license defense attorney to ensure you are taking every step necessary to follow the rules of the Kansas or Missouri state bar.  Don’t let a seemingly trivial mistake ruin your career as an attorney.  At the Sanger Law Office, Danielle Sanger can assist you in fighting the state disciplinary boards to keep your law license.  With her prior experience as Assistant Attorney General in Kansas, Danielle Sanger has the knowledge from multiple perspectives, and uses this knowledge to find the best resolution that fits each client’s needs and wishes.  Don’t wait to act.  Call us today to schedule your free consultation.  We can be reached at 785-979-4353.

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