I am representing an attorney who is suspended. He has been reinstated in the Pennsylvania courts and is now seeking reinstatement in federal courts. Is there any issues I should be aware of on a federal reinstatement hearing?
The days of the federal courts rubberstamping the reinstatement in the Pennsylvania courts are long gone. At least in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the courts are very vigilant in making a lawyer seeking reinstatement meet his burden of proof. The fact that the Pennsylvania courts have already reinstated a lawyer is not conclusive in any way. There are several cases where lawyers have been reinstated in Pennsylvania, but failed the test in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District.
