NEWS

Bar disciplinary hearings to be held at UNC-CH School of Law

CHAPEL HILL -- The Disciplinary Committee of the N.C. Bar Association will hold hearings in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law's Moot Court Nov. 14 at 9 a.m.

These are full evidentiary hearings for lawyers who have been disbarred and are seeking readmission. They involve issues of legal ethics and fitness and are being held at UNC-CH to expose students to ethical demands and consequences in the practice of law.

Held at the law school for the first time last year, the hearings made an impression on many students. Kim McCutcheon, a third-year law student, recalled last year's proceedings and described the reality of choosing an unethical path.

“Because of one mistake, all the years and money one individual had spent on law school went down the drain,” she said. Regardless of the efforts he had taken to show progress after his mistake, explained McCutcheon, his license was not reinstated.

“This was a very valuable thing for us to hear as law students -- that there will be zero tolerance for ethical violations if you practice in this state,” she said. “If I am ever faced with an ethical question, I am certain I will remember what I saw at the hearing and give it great deal of thought.”

Jason Walser, a third-year law student and attorney general for the law school, said it's easy for students to lose sight of the legal profession's moral and ethical responsibilities when discussing the law in class. The hearing Nov. 14 will provide UNC-CH law students with a needed dose of reality, he said.

“The disciplinary hearings serve as a sobering reminder of just how severe the ramifications of slight breaches of integrity can be,” he said. “If nothing else, I think everyone who witnesses the hearings will learn the importance the committee places on taking personal responsibility for ethical breaches. I think this is only appropriate in light of an attorney's obligations to define not only how the profession is viewed, but also how effective he will be in serving those who need legal service.”

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Law school contact: Audrey Ward, 962-4125

News Services print contact: Karen Stinneford