Small Law Firms

Ex-Con Who Pretended To Be An Attorney Arrested For Pretending To Be An Attorney

Some people apparently want to be lawyers.

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Relatively early on in The Untouchables, a down on his luck Eliot Ness meets beat cop Jimmy Malone on a bridge and Malone presses him on why the younger man has a concealed firearm. When Ness responds by telling Malone that he works for the Treasury Department, Malone walks away.

Ness: Hey, wait a minute! What the hell kind of policemen you got in this god damn city? You just turned your back on an armed man.
Malone: You’re a treasury officer.
Ness: How do you know that? I just told you that.
Malone: Who would claim to be that who was not? Hmm?

A man named John B. Kennedy — I assume the “B” is short for “Bitzgerald” — was arrested yesterday morning for the unlicensed practice of law. It’s a charge that Kennedy’s familiar with since he’s out on parole after a 2012 conviction for the unlicensed practice of law. Most folks wouldn’t willingly sign on for a lifetime of lawyer jokes and the contempt of polite society, but Kennedy not only took the leap, he appears to have done it twice.

And this guy really jumped into the role.

After his arrest, officers with Houston Police Department’s Major Offenders Division seized boxes of files, along with signs advertising legal services. Sources tell Eyewitness News that Kennedy practiced law out of the office, blatantly solicited clients and may have accumulated hundreds….

The sign outside the office where Kennedy was arrested advertises representation for divorce, personal injury, auto accidents, crimes and insurance claims.

Kennedy was disbarred in 1992, but apparently old habits die hard, prompting his 2012 conviction and his 2018 arrest. It’s all the more reason why clients should be encouraged to check a small-firm or solo lawyer’s bar status. Or, for that matter, a Biglaw attorney’s bar status before handing over large sums of money.

It may seem like no one out there wants to claim to be a lawyer who is not, but don’t bank on that. After all, Jimmy got killed for losing his skepticism.[1]

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John B. Kennedy accused of practicing law without a license for second time [KTRK]

[1] Oh, are you going to complain about “spoilers”? The movie’s 31 years old! Capone ends up going to jail too. There, I ruined the whole thing for you.

HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.

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