Former Ohio attorney Barry Brickley has been charged in Richland County Common Pleas Court with theft, forgery and receiving stolen property, due to allegedly writing $10,555.00 worth of checks to himself while working as a paralegal for local attorney Randy Fry.
According to Richland County District Attorney Brent Robinson, the status of Brickley’s law license is undetermined – as are Brickley’s current whereabouts.
In 2004, The Ohio Judicial System reported that Brickley’s license to practice law was suspended indefinitely in December 2002, and that four of his former clients were awarded $2,350.00 from the Clients' Security Fund of Ohio “due to his failure to provide legal services requested.” Another client was reimbursed $4,874.95 for the same reason.
Brickley’s disciplinary action cites personal misfortune and alcoholism as mitigating factors for his misconduct, which included mishandling 15 cases, and resulted in his suspension.
Do you think that suspended and/or disbarred attorneys should be allowed to work as paralegals?
UPDATE: Fugitive former Mansfield attorney arrested in Georgia
5 comments:
Absolutely not. To me, it trivialises the important role that paralegals play in the legal profession not to hold them up to the same rigorous standards of professional ethics as solititors/attorneys etc. I'm sure this would have to be decided on an individual basis given the circumstances, but surely disbarral from one job should automatically discount you from another - particularly if the original offence is serious and proved conclusively.
Disbarred attys should not be allowed to work as paralegals or in any law related profession, period. Disbarred attorneys shouldn't even be allowed to set foot in a law office!
If paralegals are required to up hold the law, act ethically, and other requirements, then lawyers ought do the same. If a lawyer was disbarred it was because he/she violated the Rules of Professional Conduct and/or the law, period. Allowing a disbarred lawyer to practice as a paralegal is a sham and it gives paralegalism a bad name. In essence, the action of allowing a disbarred attorney to be a paralegal sends the wrong message to the community.
I could go on and on about this subject, but I believe most readers understand that allowing disbarred lawyers to practice as paralegals is downright sacreligious.
Disbarred attorney calling themselves paralegals is what caused me to support paralegal certification or licensing.
This really disgusts me. I think that if you are disbarred as an attorney you should not be allowed to work as a paralegal. It gives us a bad image!
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