Legal Ethics
Scruggs Says He’ll Accept Suspension Over Disbarment
Posted Apr 4, 2008, 11:34 am CST
By Molly McDonough
Former top plaintiffs lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs is fighting for his right to keep his law license and indicated to state disciplinary authorities that he would accept an indefinite suspension.
The Mississippi Bar is asking that Scruggs be disbarred in light of his admission that he conspired to bribe a North Mississippi judge. But Scruggs argues that the disbarment request is premature because the federal judge handling his case hasn't formally accepted his plea.
Michael Martz, the lawyer for Scruggs and his son Zach Scruggs, who also is fighting disbarment, say they want "the bar and the court to follow the law," the Sun-Herald reports.
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Comments
Posted by Stephen Gianelli - 7 months, 4 weeks, 9 hours, 51 minutes ago
On the continuum of bad conduct by lawyers, bribing a judge—which is what Scruggs admitted to—has got to be the worst.
He will be disbarred, of course—and rightly so.
On the plus side, (for Scruggs) he is so rich he will never have to work again.
Posted by D.E. Morris - 7 months, 4 weeks, 4 hours, 4 minutes ago
With all due respect, which is quite little, to Dickie Scruggs, who gives a rat’s bottom what discipline this late great lawyer would choose to accept? He tried to bribe a Judge and he has admitted to trying to bribe a Judge. Someone stick a fork in him-He’s done. If Mississippi does not disbar him, as it should do as soon as possible, the effect of that horrible decision will be disastrous for lawyers throughout the country. The only question then would be, “Who did Scruggs bribe, successfully this time, this go around?“
Posted by Neil - 7 months, 3 weeks, 4 days, 12 hours, 33 minutes ago
As a non-lawyer citizen with inside knowledge of the courts, let’s face it, this stuff goes on all the time, in one form or another. Scruggs just got caught.