Opinion ID: 2310847
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The nature of the proceeding.

Text: It is important to note at the outset what this case is not about. Bar Counsel has not asked the court to disbar Abrams on account of his having been convicted of a crime of moral turpitude. Cf. In re Hopmayer, 625 A.2d 290 (D.C.1993); D.C.Code § 11-2503(a) (1996). The presidential pardon would undoubtedly have precluded a sanction based on Abrams' conviction, and Abrams did not, in any event, commit such a crime. Instead, the proceeding was brought to discipline Abrams for engaging in conduct which, according to Bar Counsel, violated the Code of Professional Responsibility. Although the case was precipitated in part by Abrams' criminal convictions, [9] the existence vel non of a criminal conviction is not dispositive of the question whether Abrams violated his ethical obligations as an attorney. The central question in a disciplinary proceeding is whether the attorney has adhered to the high standards of honor and integrity which membership in our profession demands, and not whether he has been criminally punished for any derelictions. The Bar is a noble calling. In re Shillaire, 549 A.2d 336, 337 (D.C.1988). [T]he right to practice law not only presupposes in its possessor integrity, legal standing, and attainment, but also the exercise of a special privilege, highly personal, and partaking of the nature of a public trust. In re Lavine, supra, 41 P.2d at 162. High standards of honor, integrity and professional competence have been in effect for attorneys since the reign of Henry IV. See In re Bozarth, 178 Okla. 427, 63 P.2d 726, 727 (1936) (citations omitted). Responsibility for the discipline of attorneys admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia is vested in this court. See D.C.Code §§ 11-2501, -2502 (1995); D.C. Bar R. XI, § 1 (1996). Disciplinary sanctions are designed to maintain the integrity of the profession, to protect the public and the courts, and to deter other attorneys from engaging in similar misconduct. In re Reback, 513 A.2d 226, 231 (D.C.1986) (en banc). Our purpose in conducting disciplinary proceedings and imposing sanctions is not to punish the attorney; [10] rather, it is to offer the desired protection by assuring the continued or restored fitness of an attorney to practice law. In re Steele, 630 A.2d 196, 200 (D.C.1993) (citation and footnote omitted); see also Reback, supra, 513 A.2d at 231. The question is, said Lord Mansfield, whether, after the conduct of this man, it is proper that he should continue a member of a profession which should stand free from all suspicion. . . . It is not by way of punishment; but the court[s] in such cases exercise their discretion, whether a man whom they have formerly admitted is a proper person to be continued on the roll or not. Ex parte Wall, 107 U.S. 265, 273, 2 S.Ct. 569, 576, 27 L.Ed. 552 (1883) (emphasis added). Because the obligation to protect the public from the unethical practitioner and to maintain the honor and integrity of the profession does not depend on a prosecutor's pursuit or non-pursuit of criminal penalties, the courts have rejected the notion that the pardon of an attorney relieves them from carrying out their disciplinary responsibilities. Chief Judge (later Justice) Cardozo made the point well for a unanimous court in In re Kaufmann, 245 N.Y. 423, 157 N.E. 730 (1927): There must be convincing proof of innocence before pardon will restore to the fellowship of the bar. Even innocence of crime will not suffice if there has been a failure to live up to the standards of morality and honor. Pardon does no more than open the door to an inquiry that would otherwise be barred. That much, however, it does. Id. 157 N.E. at 733. [11] In other words, the pardon of an attorney does not of itself invest him with those essentials required of an attorney-at-law. Feinstein v. State Bar, 39 Cal.2d 541, 248 P.2d 3, 7 (1952) (citations omitted).