Would-Be Lawyer with Pattern of ‘Offensive Behavior’ Denied License

In an opinion short on details, a New York appeals court has refused to give a law license to an applicant who displayed “a pattern of inappropriate and offensive behavior.”

The Oct. 1 opinion (PDF) says the bar applicant engaged in the bad behavior at work and in law school, beginning in 1990 and continuing until recently. He also displayed a lack of candor during his application for admission in New Jersey in 2005, which was denied until he could show he had reformed, the opinion said. The New York court does not name the applicant, his law school or his place of employment.

The opinion said the applicant has made “continuing commendable efforts at rehabilitation” and he could renew his bar application in one year.

The Legal Profession Blog noted the opinion. “Unfortunately, the absence of any description of the conduct at issue gives little guidance to future applicants,” the blog said.