Dismissed law student practiced law, is fined $1K by state supreme court
Dismissed from her law school program at Ohio State University, a former student went on to practice law by defending a friend in traffic court.
Paige N. Casey told the defendant she was an actual attorney and, when questioned by a prosecutor and the judge in the Euclid Municipal Court case, she contended she was a certified legal intern permitted to represent clients, the state supreme court has determined in a legal disciplinary case. She also signed documents with “JD” after her name, indicating that she had a law degree when she in fact did not, the News-Herald reported.
In a Thursday opinion (PDF), the court said she has been fined $1,000 plus costs and ordered to stop holding herself out as an attorney.
Casey did not defend herself in the case and could not be reached for comment by the ABA Journal.