Published on Nov. 17, 2023

Mizzou Law professors Ben Trachtenberg and Richard Reuben were recently quoted in an ABA Journal article covering a recently disbarred Missouri attorney. Their quotes address ethical and legal questions surrounding the case of an attorney who broke local statute by remaining on a city council while no longer living within that municipality.

“Not every lie is going to get a lawyer in trouble. There’s ordinary dishonesty, like telling your children there’s a Santa Claus, and then there’s deeper deceit, such as defrauding the public. That kind of deceit can get you in trouble even when you are acting outside of the practice of law.” — Ben Trachtenberg, associate dean for academic affairs and Isidor Loeb Professor of Law.

“Communities can take their residency requirements very seriously. It’s deeply baked into our concept of democracy that people who make decisions about the community should come from the community. The message here is that people who want to push the envelope on residency requirements may get away with it for a while, but it probably won’t last.” — Richard Reuben, James Lewis Parks Professor of Law

To read the full story, visit: https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/lawyer-planned-to-run-for-office-in-one-state-while-holding-elected-position-in-another#google_vignette