The New York State Bar Association’s announcement Monday that it would consider removing the membership of President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani made national news, with many assuming removal would mean Giuliani could no longer practice law in New York.

But New York attorneys knew that New York is among the minority of states without a “unified” or mandatory bar association. Membership in NYSBA and any other bar association in the state is voluntary, and the four departments of the state court’s Appellate Division handle bar admission and attorney discipline, including disbarment.