Opinion ID: 6350878
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Ninth Circuit Standard for Reinstatement

Text: Ninth Circuit Rule 46-2(h) sets forth the procedure by which attorneys may seek reinstatement following suspension or disbarment from practice before our court. It provides: “A suspended or disbarred attorney may file a petition for reinstatement with the Clerk. The petition shall contain a concise statement of the circumstances of the disciplinary proceedings, the discipline imposed by this Court, and the grounds that justify reinstatement of the attorney.” 9th Cir. R. 46-2(h). In In re Girardi, we indicated that as part of proving “the grounds that justify reinstatement,” attorneys must, at a minimum, show they are in good standing in all jurisdictions to which they are admitted. 611 F.3d at 1039. Specifically, we noted that Rule 46-2(h) petitions should “include evidence that [the attorney] is in good standing, with no discipline pending, in all courts and bars to which [the attorney] is admitted.” Id. We now hold that an attorney cannot justify reinstatement while he or she is currently suspended or disbarred in another jurisdiction—provided that the other jurisdiction had independent, non-reciprocal reasons for imposing discipline. 4 The New York State Bar disbarred Yagman in January 2009, more than eleven months before California disbarred him. Importantly, New York’s disbarment of Yagman was 4 This pre-condition is important for instances where, as occasionally happens, an attorney is reciprocally suspended or disbarred in multiple jurisdictions stemming from one bar’s decision. An attorney in that situation need not first be reinstated in every state or federal court that imposed reciprocal discipline before seeking reinstatement here. IN RE YAGMAN 13 not reciprocally imposed. New York independently determined that Yagman’s federal felony conviction constituted grounds for automatic disbarment under its precedent. Matter of Yagman, 61 A.D.3d at 31–32. Accordingly, Yagman cannot meet his burden to show that “he is in good standing, with no discipline pending, in all courts and bars to which he is admitted.” In re Girardi, 611 F.3d at 1039. We respect Amicus Baldwin’s recommendation that we give deference to state court reinstatement decisions when evaluating whether an attorney has met Rule 46-2(h)’s requirements. State bar disciplinary proceedings are typically “of a character to warrant federal-court deference.” Middlesex Cnty. Ethics Comm. v. Garden State Bar Ass’n, 457 U.S. 423, 434 (1982). However, we temper the extent of our deference by observing that after the State Bar of California reached its decision in this case, the California State Auditor published a report finding that the California State Bar’s weak enforcement policies had long allowed patterns of serious misconduct, especially by prominent attorneys, to go unpunished for extended periods of time, and allowed for failures in tracking staffers’ conflicts of interest. 5 Regardless, it is not enough for Yagman to show he is reinstated to the California bar when he remains disbarred from practicing law in New York. See In re Girardi, 5 California lawmakers required the State Bar of California to undergo an audit in response to its failure to properly investigate allegations against a prominent attorney. See, e.g., Joyce E. Cutler, California Bar’s Policies Don’t Protect Public, Audit Finds, Bloomberg Law, (Apr. 14, 2022, 2:41 PM), https://www.bloomberglaw.com/bloom berglawnews/us-law-week/X2B204OG000000?bna_news_filter=uslaw-week#jcite. 14 IN RE YAGMAN 611 F.3d at 1039. We hold that Yagman cannot be reinstated to the bar of our court until he is authorized to practice law by the New York State Bar because he has not met Rule 46- 2(h)’s requirement to “justify” his reinstatement. Accordingly, we deny Yagman’s motion for reinstatement without prejudice to his right to file a future motion for reinstatement if he is reinstated to practice by the New York State Bar. II. Ninth Circuit Rule 46-2(c) Notice Requirement Our January 18, 2022, order to show cause required Yagman to “explain whether, and if so how and when, he notified this court of his California and New York disbarments.” He failed to do so. Ninth Circuit Rule 46-2(c) provides, in part, that “[a]n attorney who practices before this Court shall provide the Clerk of this Court with a copy of any order or other official notification that the attorney has been subjected to suspension or disbarment in another jurisdiction.” 9th Cir. R. 46-2(c). Attorneys are thus required to notify our court of any suspensions or disbarments, even while they are suspended or disbarred. Although Yagman’s failure to comply with this Rule does not factor into our reasons for denying his motion for reinstatement, we address his response lest there be any future confusion. Yagman never informed us of his subsequent disbarments in New York or California. Yagman admits that he “did not formally notify this court of his California disbarment.” He says that instead of notifying our court, he “did immediately, unofficially notify his friend, former judge of this court, Stephen Reinhardt” of his California disbarment, and assumed our court was fully aware of the disbarment. He also admits he never informed us of his New IN RE YAGMAN 15 York disbarment and says he was not aware of our court’s Rule 46-2(c). Ninth Circuit Rule 46-2(c) imposes a notice requirement. It obligates attorneys to notify us when they have been suspended or disbarred in another jurisdiction. Yagman argues that the Rule did not apply to him because by its terms it only obligates “[a]n attorney who practices before this Court” to provide such notice, and he was suspended at the time he received notice of the California disbarment. This is sophistry. Neither suspension nor disbarment relieve attorneys of their duty to promptly inform our court of discipline imposed on them by other jurisdictions. The term “an attorney who practices before this Court” also encompasses those attorneys who are then inactive in our circuit due to their suspension or disbarment. If Yagman were to apply for admission to our court afresh, he would need to disclose his prior disciplinary history. See Ninth Circuit Form 31.