Is Mike Brown still a lawyer?

And if not, why not.  I checked the Oklahoma Bar Ass'n website and he is not registered as a lawyer in Oklahoma.  

You go to law school, which is an awful experience, you take the bar, which is a worse experience, you go to the character committee, where you pay up all your old parking tickets, and then you pay your couple hundred dollars a year to stay a lawyer until you die.  If you retire, and you are too cheap to keep paying, you go on hiatus.  You don't just stop being a lawyer unless you are forced to resign from the bar by the disciplinary committee.  So what happened with Mike Brown?

  NY Times today gives a platform to Brown's lawyer, who offers an apologia, saying Brown's departure from the International Arabian Horse Ass'n was all about Brown being unfairly persecuted by evildoers angry at his zealous enforcement of horse judging rules.  If that were true, then there is a Santa Claus and a tooth fairy, and Brown would in all likelihood still be a lawyer.  

It also appears from the Times article what was already fairly obvious, that Brown's agreement to leave the IAHA, negotiated apparently by this lawyer, involved everyone's agreeing to keep mum about the real reasons.  This means that Brown's lawyer can put out Brown's side of the story without much fear of its being rebutted.  But if the Times article constitutes a breach in the agreement by Brown's side, then the real story may start to trickle out.

The lawyer does admit that Brown's departure from IAHA involved this mysterious "personal legal defense fund" that Brown started up for himself when things at the IAHA started getting hot.  "Personal legal defense fund?"  Whatever happened to malpractice insurance?  Did his insurer refuse to defend him?  Or was he careless enough not to carry malpractice insurance?  Did Brown pay taxes on said "personal legal defense fund?"  Were payments to the fund tantamount to bribes from horse owners?  How big was this fund?  Can we all get up "personal legal defense funds?"

•  Middle Name

  Does anyone know it? There is indeed one Michael Brown that is listed on the Oklahoma Bar website, based in Oklahoma City.
  

  by shanikka on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 04:27:51 AM PDT

  •  Michael D. Brown

    Mr. Brown was also an adjunct professor of law for the Oklahoma City University.

    A native of Oklahoma, Mr. Brown holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration/Political Science from Central State University, Oklahoma. He received his J.D. from Oklahoma City University's School of Law.

    by debraz on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 05:03:00 AM PDT

  •  dewayne

    his middle name is dewayne.  It's a  different Mike Brown -- I already checked that out.

    by ttcrewes on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 05:10:00 AM PDT

    •  Oh well

      He's not listed in Colorado or Oklahoma.  At least, not with that middle name or the law school credential that is listed on the White House website.

      Do we know with certainty that those state websites list everyone who is licensed (active, inactive or deceased?) I know California does, but the fact that the search engines for both are geared towards a "find a lawyer"/consumer search rather than a records verification

      by shanikka on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 05:15:40 AM PDT

      •  inactive in Colorado

        He is "inactive" in Colorado. See reply to post below

        by ttcrewes on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 05:23:09 AM PDT

•  browns problem with personal defense fund

  The problem was that the organization (IAHA?) had agreed to pay for Brown's legal defense and thus he did not need a fund - particularly when he started accepting contributions from members of an organization that that he was supposed to act impartially towards.

  by MonkeyBoy on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 04:33:35 AM PDT

•  Check Colorado too - might be there

  n/t

  by fpc on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 04:50:28 AM PDT

  •  he is inactive in Colorado

    Mike Brown IS registered with Colorado as inactive.  So that answers that.  This answer basically is in his favor.  He is on hiatus, i.e., not disbarred, but not a practicing lawyer either.  

    This means that he would probably simply need to take a certain quantum of continuing legal education courses and then he could resume practicing law again, all things being equal.

    But it does not answer all questions regarding why he left IAHA and did not activate his registration as a lawyer thereafter.  There is a certain amount of risk in going on inactive status and staying there, and it is part of the puzzle.  

    by ttcrewes on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 05:21:34 AM PDT

    •  A good thing to check

      is whether any complaints were filed against him with the Bar Association or whatever the legal system is in the state(s) in which he is registered.

      He may not have been disbarred, but some disciplinary action may be been taken (maybe not, too)

      That should be a matter of public record.

      by compass rose on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 05:25:02 AM PDT

•  Per White House site

  Michael D. Brown

  by lilnubber on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 04:51:02 AM PDT

  •  Not Licensed in DC

    Michael D. Brown is not licensed to practice law in DC.

    by eafredel on Wed Sep 07, 2005 at 06:04:16 AM PDT