Somebody help me out, but a voluntary surrender is different from getting disbarred.
I’m pretty sure Billy-Jeff was disbarred....
In my ignorance, i’m thinking a voluntary surrender means they’ve got the goods on you, but are giving you the chance to surrender your license to keep yourself out of court.
Either way, it comes off as scumbags lawyers protecting their own.
Attorneys may go inactive and pay a small annual fee and no continuing legal education required. No attorneys elect voluntary surrender over inactive. When one voluntarily surrenders that negates the Bar and would require them to take/pass it again to practice. Nobody chooses that after going to law school and passing the bar.
Attorneys who F up big time ALWAYS take the voluntary surrender option to forestall investigation and disbarment. Moochelle was admitted in 89 & was done in 93. She probably spent 93 being investigated & firewalled. I would guess she “practiced” for a grand total of 3 years.
I cannot give you chapter an verse on this, but I believe that it is common for lawyers going into public office to put their law licenses on dormant or inactive status.
Billy Jeff's record shows he was suspended for five years starting on 19 January 2001 for disciplinary reasons. His wife's record is a bit shorter. It shows her suspended as of 14 March 2002 for failing to keep up her continuing legal education.
Also, in November 2001, Billy chose to resign from the Supreme Court bar, rather than "be disbarred from the practice of law in this court." The Supreme Court bar is largely an honorary thing. Few of the lawyers in it ever actually practice before the Court.