New York’s First Department Suspends Thousands of Lawyers

Under Section 468-a of New York’s Judiciary Law, New York attorneys are required to file a registration every two years along with payment of a registration fee. If an attorney fails to comply with this requirement, the Appellate Division of New York’s Supreme Court can suspend the attorney.

On November 17, 2022, the Appellate Division’s First Department (1st Dept.) issued an order suspending thousands of attorneys who were not in compliance with their registration requirements. Motions for such suspensions are brought by the Attorney Grievance Committees, which regulate attorneys’ conduct.

The Court’s order, including a list of the suspended attorneys can be accessed by clicking HERE.

The Grievance Committee is required to notify attorneys of the motion against their license; however, if the attorney is unable to be reached directly, the Court will sign an order allowing the Grievance Committee to notify attorneys indirectly by publicizing the motion in the media.

For this reason, many attorneys, including those who practice out of state, are not aware of the motion until after they have already been suspended.

Attorneys who are suspended must file a formal application for reinstatement; it is not enough to simply come into compliance with registration requirements.

In some cases, other requirements must be met for reinstatement, such as completion of continuing legal education courses (CLE) and/or passage of the MPRE ethics exam.

If you are an attorney who has been suspended for failure to comply with §468-a, the experienced attorneys at Tesser, Ryan & Rochman, LLP can help you apply for reinstatement and answer your questions about the attorney registration process. Call now at (212) 754-9000.