Also see "Catch Me If You Can."
How did Howard Kieffer pull off his alleged legal impersonation act?
Many say he may have taken advantage of well-known loophole in federal court admissions: Few federal courts verify information out-of-state counsel provides in pro hac vice motions or circuit bar applications.
Each circuit and district court also has its own policy, adding to the loose administration.
After allegations about Kieffer surfaced this summer, the Administrative Office of US Courts released a memo stating that federal court clerks’ offices should review admissions carefully, and “make sure safeguards [are] in place," says U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim, who sits in Minneapolis. Tunheim chairs the United States Judicial Conference committee on court administration and case management, which recently recommended that federal courts develop a standardized admissions policy which would include a standardized application form and a formalized process to verify the information submitted.
Law license information, Tunheim says, is easily verified through online attorney registration sites, which most states provide. See the ABA's Directory of Lawyer Disciplinary Agencies here (PDF).
Lawyers should play a role too. “If you’re verifying someone is a member in good standing with his or her state bar, one would normally think the person should check,” Tunheim says.
Apr 1, 2009 4:57 PM CDT
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