Flashback: Rudy Giuliani Is Not Practicing Law, And Billing Him As Trump’s Attorney Degrades The Value Of A Law License

abovethelaw.com ^ | Oct 2, 2019 | JONATHAN WOLF

[lwd]

Rudy Giuliani is an exaggerated cartoon metaphor for millennials’ slow awaking about the fallibility and tragic decline of their parents. He graduated from law school in 1968, went on to serve as a federal prosecutor, and eventually became mayor of New York. When 9/11 happened, we were all scared and confused, and Rudy stood up there and gave us some confidence in the future. He looked like a leader.

And then, as his star faded, there came a decade of irrelevance. His former prowess battered, but his pride intact, he reached for the spotlight with one final, self-destructive act: enthralling himself to Donald Trump. Rudy Giuliani has become a national embarrassment, not to mention a black mark on the entire legal profession.

Rudy Giuliani is billed as Donald Trump’s private lawyer. And sure, he has a law license. But not everything everyone who has a law license does is lawyering. I went duck hunting with my dad last weekend, and nobody said I was acting as his personal lawyer by going on a duck hunt with him. But they might as well have, because that is pretty much what almost everyone in the media is doing with Rudy Giuliani.

Let’s look at the ABA’s draft model definition of the practice of law. It says:

(1) The ‘practice of law’ is the application of legal principles and judgment with regard to the circumstances or objectives of a person that require the knowledge and skill of a person trained in the law.

[Sacajaweau]

It’s no big deal. I do 24 hours on line over a 3 year period.

[Sacajaweau]

There’s no mystery...if you don’t register, you can’t practice but you are still an attorney. It’s a life title.

[RummyChick]

Yes, there is a mystery about Michelle’s license.

I am not going to rehash it. It surrounds whether the action was voluntary or not.

[Sacajaweau]

https://www.pabarexam.org/non_bar_exam_admission/reciprocity.htm

[Dave Wright]

In 1983, Giuliani was appointed to be U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which was technically a demotion but was sought by Giuliani because of his desire to personally litigate cases and because the SDNY is considered the highest profile United States Attorney's Office in the country, and as such, is often used by those who have held the position as a springboard for running for public office. It was in this position that he first gained national prominence by prosecuting numerous high-profile cases, resulting in the convictions of Wall Street figures Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken. He also focused on prosecuting drug dealers, organized crime, and corruption in government. He amassed a record of 4,152 convictions and 25 reversals. 

How many crime familiy convictions does Wolf have?

[wintertime]

Well?...Maybe Rudi is billing not as a lawyer but as a consultant, public relations manager, and spokesman? That seems fair. Should he work for free? I don’t think so.

[Robert DeLong]

It’s my understanding that President Trump & Rudy have known each other for quite sometime. Which makes sense since they both have a long history of sharing the New York City experience. 8>)

[dp0622]

Yeah I’ve lived here my whole life and have been an avid news reader for 25 years now.

I don’t recall reading an article that mentioned both of them.

But that means nothing.

I’m sure they had a number of encounters but nothing that was reported on

Or maybe my memory just sucks :)

[P-Marlowe]

Paging Lin Wood.

[Jane Long]

Wow....that’s an amazing story....to get to have dinner w/Rudy.