CA Bar Suspends Attorney for False Resume

In this economy, even attorneys falsify resumes to secure jobs. Though it is not the only recent case of attorney being caught falsifying information on a resume, a recent case just reported in the California Bar Journal that brought discipline from the California Bar is notable due to the degree of discipline the California Bar extended.

The attorney falsely claimed that he worked at two law firms where he did not, detailed extensive experience he did not have, and listed clients he never assisted. The general counsel of one of the two firms contacted the attorney to question the claim that he’d worked at their firm; the attorney responded that the error was a typo, and that he simply meant to indicate he’d applied for work at that firm rather than secured it.

The individual was then contacted by the investigator for the State Bar. He claimed to have contacted the ethics hotline, as well as the general counsel of the law firm—implying that this was done in efforts to correct his resume.

Upon completion of the investigation, the lawyer was suspended for two years. Next he was put on probation for three years with a six-month actual suspension. After this, he has to prove his rehabilitation and take the MPRE within a year, along with some other specifications on compliance with policies. Unfortunately, this story is making a buzz among legal bloggers not due to the reprehensibility of the act, but the likely causes of it—large numbers of attorney lay-offs—that many speculate will lead to more incidents of this kind.