Michelle Obama does not have a license to practice law

[snopes]

Comment: Michelle Obama does not have a Law License in Illinois

A check of the State of Illinois Bar Association website shows no bar
license for "Michelle Robinson" or "Michelle Obama". It has been reported
that Michelle Obama "voluntarily" gave up her law license in 1993, just
five years after she got the license.

Why would a black woman who worked at a prestigious law firm in
Chicago, who had graduated from one of the most prestigious law schools in
the country, and who had endured the grueling task of sitting for the bar
exam TWICE, then voluntarily give up her law license?

I've baan asked about this rumor. I checked the net, and there are a
number of different links available through a Google search. Can you
confirm true or false? I CAN'T believe this can possibly be true when the
oldest posting I can find is 9 Oct. 2008!

[lord_feldon]

Looks like it's true.

Illinois Registration Status: Voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law - Last Registered Year: 1993

[Artemis]

According to wiki:

In 1996, Obama served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago, where she developed the University's Community Service Center.[28] In 2002, she began working for the University of Chicago Hospitals, first as executive director for community affairs and, beginning May, 2005, as Vice President for Community and External Affairs.[29] She still holds the position, though she is working part time in order to devote more time to being a mother.[30]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama

What on earth does her being a black woman have to do with her deciding not to practice law?

[Lady Neeva]

Has she been passing herself off as a lawyer? Is there anything in the job description of "First Lady" that requires one be a lawyer?

In short... so she doesn't have a law license, why is this supposed to matter?

[snopes]

For what reason(s) might a person voluntarily give up his/her license to practice law? Does maintaining the license, even if one is not actively practicing law, require any investment of time, effort, or money?

[Simply Madeline]

Originally Posted by Lady Neeva

In short... so she doesn't have a law license, why is this supposed to matter?

Actually, she does have a law license, it's just inactive. Many lawyers who no longer practice law inactivate their licenses -- it frees you from having to pay dues/renewal fees or meet continuing education requirements (CE requirements which are absolutely irrelevant to you if you are, say, a hospital administrator).

ETA: Continuing education requirements for Illinois

[hoitoider]

For an architecture license, some states say you have to make up the inactive years in fees and CE credits if you want to activate your license again. For example, if you live in a state that requires 12 CE credits and a $50 renewal fee annually and you were inactive 5 years, you will have to pay $250 and submit 60 hours of CE credits to become active again. I believe all states & professions are working towards that.

[matches]

My wife does not have a license to practice social work in New York, though she does work in New York as a Social Worker.

My wife is licensed in New Jersey because that is where we live and where she went to school.

She did not need a new york license to do what she does in New York, she just needed her Masters Degree. She opted not to go for the New York license due to the cost and paperwork invovled.

Depending on what the Illinios Bar Associations rules are for maintaining and having a license to practice law, I can easiliy see if Ms. Obama was not activly practicing law why she might opt not to renew her license.

Given the general tenor of this campaign season if there were a reason other than "Ms. Obama began work in a field that no longer required her to maintain her license and as such opted not to renew it" we would hear the issues surrounding her stealth suspension from the Bar on a regular basis.

[DemonWolf]

Originally Posted by Lady Neeva

Has she been passing herself off as a lawyer? Is there anything in the job description of "First Lady" that requires one be a lawyer?

In short... so she doesn't have a law license, why is this supposed to matter?

The quotes surrounding the word "voluntarily" in the OP suggest that the giving up of the license was less than voluntary, perhaps suggesting that she was given the choice of giving it up voluntarily or having it removed for disciplary reasons. Kind of a "resign or be fired" offer.

I'm guessing that the idea is to suggest that she is corrupt or otherwise unethical.

[blucanary]

Isn't 1993 around the time they had their first daughter? Isn't that why she stopped working?

[FullMetal]

Originally Posted by DemonWolf

The quotes surrounding the word "voluntarily" in the OP suggest that the giving up of the license was less than voluntary, perhaps suggesting that she was given the choice of giving it up voluntarily or having it removed for disciplary reasons. Kind of a "resign or be fired" offer.

I'm guessing that the idea is to suggest that she is corrupt or otherwise unethical.

definately a suggestion that there's an ulterior motive behind her inactive status. but if there really was a "resign or be fired" situation behind it, wouldn't they have made her do something more than just make her license inactive?

Also I know many people with a law degree who aren't licensed to practice law. They use their law degree and education to get a good job doing other work (that they'd rather do) rather than practicing law.

[Ali Infree]

I know people who received a law degree, but never practiced and thus were never licensed. Even among lawyers, sometimes a practicing ends up doing something else they find more rewarding or interesting. For instance, John Grisham and Scott Turow walked away from the law as a way of making a living.

I find this amazing as we clock our way down to Election Day, she gets no props for choosing to be a mother and not practicing law. Instead, she gets the odious suspicion that something must be wrong with her to "voluntarily" give up her license.

Who said that someone would say anything to get elected?

Ali "not me" Infree

[PointySextant]

Originally Posted by snopes

For what reason(s) might a person voluntarily give up his/her license to practice law? Does maintaining the license, even if one is not actively practicing law, require any investment of time, effort, or money?

Yes, yes, and yes. In California at least, you had to at one point repass the bar or some other exam every few years, as well as renew your license, which cost money. If you are practicing law, you can afford to worry about it, but if the license won't produce any money, there isn't really any point to maintaining it. My mother voluntarily dropped her license to save money.

[Four Kitties]

Originally Posted by snopes

For what reason(s) might a person voluntarily give up his/her license to practice law?

Because you can still do almost everything except appear in court without one.

Does maintaining the license, even if one is not actively practicing law, require any investment of time, effort, or money?

Yes, lots. State bar association fees, licensing fees, and many hours of very expensive continuing education are required every year.

It's the same reason my real estate license is inactive. Too expensive and too time-consuming for something I wasn't using often enough to justify the effort and expense.

Four Kitties

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by blucanary

Isn't 1993 around the time they had their first daughter? Isn't that why she stopped working?

AFAIK, she didn't stop working. She stopped practicing law.

[blucanary]

Originally Posted by Lainie

AFAIK, she didn't stop working. She stopped practicing law.

You are right, according to the campaign website she's worked for the University of Chicago since 1996 and the kids are a bit younger than that.

[erwins]

Just to add to what's already been said: I don't know the Illinois Bar Association rules, but here in Oregon, if a lawyer is given the option of resigning from the Bar during the pendency of an ethics complaint -- in essence voluntarily giving up his or her license in order to avoid being disciplined or disbarred -- that disposition is publicly available. Here, it is called a "form-B resignation" and it is published in the Bar Bulletin. I guess I'm saying I doubt that this had anything to do with the settlement of an ethics complaint.

Inactive status, on the other hand, is a different animal. It is often used when people retire from the active practice of law, or as in Michelle Obama's case, they change careers. Here a person has to apply (I think) to go on inactive status, and I know for a fact that the person has to apply to return to active status. But, they don't have to retake the Bar exam.

Being on inactive status means that the person doesn't have to pay Bar dues, or complete CLE credits. It also means that the person can't refer to him or herself as a "lawyer" or "attorney". You are limited to saying you have a J.D.

If I got a job like Michelle Obama's, I would certainly consider going on inactive status.

erwins

[ParaDiddle]

In reference to Mr P. Diddle

"Why would a Black man "voluntarily" purchase a blue car when there was a similarly equipped red car parked just a few stalls away?"

There's a name for this type of editorial tactic, but I'm not sure if if falls into the category of Logical Fallacies or not. There are a couple of blatantly manipulative issues and at least one that is underlying.

First, the choice goes to Mr. Diddle. It's not up for discussion.

Second, Mr Diddle's ethnicity isn't a consideration in this choice and shouldn't be discussed during evaluation by disinterested (anyone other than Diddle) persons.

Third, WTF is with the quotation marks? Is the writer implying a motive other than personal preference? I suggest that it's a passive/aggressive way to imply wrongdoing without taking responsibility for making an accusation.

- P

[Natalie]

Originally Posted by ParaDiddle

Third, WTF is with the quotation marks? Is the writer implying a motive other than personal preference? I suggest that it's a passive/aggressive way to imply wrongdoing without taking responsibility for making an accusation.

- P

Yes, I believe those are referred to as "scare quotes".

See link below. It is the website for the Attorney’s Registration and Public Disciplinary Commission in Illinois. The link will take you to Michelle Obama’s registration status as an Illinois attorney. On her record it says:

"No malpractice report required as attorney is on court ordered inactive status."

I have been unable to find out why the court ordered the inactive status for her license. I am sure I would know if this was a license for Joe the Plumber.

Shortcut to: http://www.iardc.org/ldetail.asp?id=72924972