No Sanction for Lawyer Who Wore F-Word T-Shirt to Cop Station
An Arizona lawyer who wore a T-shirt to a police station sporting the slogan, “Let the f—ing begin,” won’t face disciplinary charges.
The state supreme court’s disciplinary commission voted 5-4 to dismiss the charges against lawyer Jeffrey Mehrens, adopting a hearing officer’s report that concluded the T-shirt and other alleged misconduct didn’t amount to an ethical violation. Legal Profession Blog posted news of the Nov. 21 dismissal (PDF).
Mehrens claimed he wore the T-shirt to communicate his feeling that his client was at a disadvantage because of police conduct. The prosecutor who was present felt the apparel was inappropriate.
In a second incident resulting in a dropped ethics charge, Mehrens sent a note to the prosecutor who had objected to his T-shirt. It said she had a poor selection of magazines in her waiting room and he was going to take care of the problem with a gift subscription to Modern Drunkard Magazine. He then followed through on his offer.