According to MSNBC legal analyst Katie Phang, a ruling by a panel of five judges to suspend Rudy Giuliani from practicing law in New York for lying in the service of Donald Trump is as much bad news for the former president as it is for the former New York City mayor.
With the ruling stating, "We conclude that there is uncontroverted evidence that respondent communicated demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large in his capacity as lawyer for former President Donald J. Trump and the Trump campaign in connection with Trump's failed effort at reelection in 2020," Phang suggested that Trump will have difficulty finding any lawyers who will go to the mat for him like Giuliani did.
Calling the court's decision, "a warning not just to Giuliani, but to other lawyers who are considering running with Trump's conspiracy theories in court," Phang explained, "For all the jokes about shady ambulance chasers, lawyers are supposed to abide by rules of ethics and professional conduct. Each state bar requires this of its members and alleged violations can be evaluated and investigated. If the complaints are sustained, lawyers can face various levels of discipline, up to and including permanent suspension of their license."
According to the MSNBC analyst, few lawyers will be willing to risk their reputation and legal future defending Trump who is sticking to his guns about having the election stolen from him -- a position he will likely insist his counsel take despite evidence to the contrary.
"When an attorney is accused of such fraudulent conduct, the inevitable consequence is that attorney's client can be tainted with the same dishonesty. Normally, the stigma that brings both helps to prevent violations among lawyers and leads to an ostracizing among potential clients," she wrote before noting that Giuliani's suspension now leaves Trump in an awkward spot -- and whoever replaces him in a worse spot.
"That also means some other lawyer has to do the work he's left unfinished — but frankly, what other lawyer wants to run the risk of having their own bar license stripped for promoting the same nonsense that got Giuliani suspended in the first place?" Phang suggested before concluding, "Giuliani's ticket to play in the legal arena has been punched and he's out of the game. The very loud and very clear message being sent by this interim suspension should be heeded by all attorneys — but especially those current and prospective lawyers for clients like Donald Trump."
You can read the whole piece here.
