Lawyer's law license suspended for 1 year after conviction for spitting at teen
Wisconsin lawyer Stephanie Rapkin, convicted for spitting at a Black teenager during a Black Lives Matter protest, has had her law license suspended for one year. (Image from Shutterstock)
Stephanie Rapkin, a Wisconsin lawyer convicted for spitting at a Black teenager six years ago during a Black Lives Matter protest, has had her law license suspended for one year.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling was issued Thursday and found that “a period of suspension is clearly in order.”
“The incident is an embarrassment to the bar,” the court’s order said.
The Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation filed a complaint alleging Rapkin “spat in the face of an African-American teenager who was taking part in a protest in Shorewood, Wisconsin” one month after the death of George Floyd. The incident was captured on video.
Rapkin was convicted of misdemeanor disorderly conduct in April 2023, according to a report by Wisconsin Public Radio.
The Office of Lawyer Regulation also alleged that Rapkin mismanaged an estate, charged nearly $19,000 in “improper fees” and never responded to a court-appointed referee’s questions during the investigation, other than an email stating that she had retired from practicing law, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
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