Office of Disciplinary Counsel v. Trumbo

The purpose of disciplinary actions, Lord Mansfield wrote in 1778, “is not by way of punishment; but the Courts on such cases exercise their discretion, whether a man whom they have formerly admitted, is a proper person to be continued on the roll or not.” Ex parte Brounsall (1778), 2 Cowp. 829, 830, 98 Eng.Rep. 1385. The guiding principle in this case, as in all our disciplinary proceedings, is the public interest and an attorney’s right to continue to practice a profession imbued with public trust. We have previously emphasized that *373respect for the law and our legal system is the sine qua…