Prosecutions of lawyers in New York are often headline grabbing affairs, as evidenced by cases brought in recent years with varying degrees of success against Donald Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, lawyers at Dewey & Leboeuf, and New York state politicians.

The public interest in these cases is understandable. In addition to the impact of the underlying conduct on alleged victims, each case raises the specter that the lawyer in the cross hairs of a prosecution may be convicted, incarcerated, required to pay restitution and fines that are generally not covered by professional liability insurance, and lose his or her license to practice law.