BAR REPORT – Aug. 8, 2022 | New Jersey Law Journal – Law.com

The New Jersey State Bar Association’s Board of Trustees acted on several items at its July 29 meeting.

The trustees voted to support the concept of a potential path for attorneys to be reinstated following disbarment, pending the development of policies and rules on the issue. The position aligns with the NJSBA’s amicus work in In re Wade and others. In that case, it was recommended that Wade be disbarred for knowing misappropriation of client and escrow funds from her attorney trust account. The NJSBA asked the Court to clarify the Wilson automatic disbarment rule to limit its application to situations where there is a clear intent to steal or defraud, as opposed to situations where trust accounting errors or insufficiencies are alleged. While declining to revisit the application of Wilson, the Court called for the exploration of a path for reinstatement, as is permitted in a majority of other states.