Barrack Obama: Can He Practice Law?

There have been many rumors about former US President Barack Obama's law license. Several social media posts claim that Obama surrendered his license to practice law to avoid disciplinary action. However, these claims are false. Obama was admitted to the Illinois State Bar Association on December 17, 1991, but he is currently listed as 'retired' and 'not authorized to practice law.' Obama chose to have his law license placed on voluntarily inactive status after announcing his candidacy for president in 2007 and changed it to voluntarily retired after becoming president in 2009. He could return to practicing law if he decides to by submitting a notification and paying the registration fee for each year that he was retired.

Barack Obama's law license status

Barack Obama, the former president of the United States, is no longer a licensed lawyer. He surrendered his license in 2008, the year he was elected president. However, it is important to note that he did not lose his license due to disciplinary reasons or criminal charges, as has been rumored. Instead, he chose to voluntarily inactive his license, which is a common practice for lawyers who don't need an active bar card for their work.

According to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (IARDC), Obama is listed as "retired - not authorized to practice law or provide pro bono services." This means that he is not currently authorized to practice law in Illinois, but he could return to active status if he desired. In fact, James Grogan, deputy administrator, and chief counsel for the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois, confirmed that Obama was "never the subject of any public disciplinary proceedings."

The rumors that Obama surrendered his license to escape charges of lying on his bar application are false. These rumors began circulating during the 2008 presidential election and have persisted despite a lack of evidence. Additionally, the Illinois State Bar Association continues to list Obama as an Honorary Member.

It is worth noting that Obama's wife, Michelle Obama, also an attorney, voluntarily surrendered her law license in 1993. However, this was also not due to disciplinary reasons, as has been rumored. Michelle Obama is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law" by the IARDC. Like her husband, she could return to active status if she desired.

Michelle Obama's law license status

There are rumours that Michelle Obama surrendered her law license in 1993 to avoid charges of insurance fraud. However, these are false. Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988 and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. Following graduation, she joined Sidley Austin, a corporate law firm in Chicago. In 1994, while working for the Public Allies project in Chicago, she voluntarily had her license placed on "inactive" status.

Michelle Obama is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law". This means that she still holds a valid law license but is not currently engaged in any professional activities that require it to be active. A lawyer who has surrendered their license has given it up and no longer has a license. A lawyer on inactive status does not have to take classes but has to pay an annual fee.

Michelle Obama could return to active status and practice law if she desired. She would have to file a motion with the Illinois Supreme Court requesting to be transferred back to active status. She would only have to pay the registration fee for the year she requested to return to active status.

The process for the Obamas to return to active status

Barack and Michelle Obama are not authorized to practice law in Illinois, but that is because they elected to assume retired and inactive status, respectively. Both can return to active status and practice law if they wish to.

To return to active status, Barack Obama would have to submit a written or online notification stating his intention to return to active status. He would also have to pay the registration fee for each year that he was retired. Michelle Obama's process would be different as she changed her status under old Supreme Court Rule 770. She would have to file a motion with the Illinois Supreme Court requesting to be transferred back to active status. She would only have to pay the registration fee for the year she requested to return to active status.

It is important to note that the requirements to return to active status may vary depending on the jurisdiction and the specific rules and regulations of the relevant bar association or regulatory body. In some cases, a character and fitness review may be required, and there may be specific requirements for reinstatement, such as completing additional courses or retaking the bar examination.

It is always advisable to refer to the specific guidelines provided by the relevant regulatory body or bar association for detailed information on the process and requirements for returning to active status.

The Obamas' law teaching careers

Barack Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991 and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on December 17, 1991. Before entering politics, he worked as a civil rights lawyer at the firm formerly known as Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland. He also taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years, first as a lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and then as a senior lecturer from 1996 to 2004.

During his time at the University of Chicago Law School, Obama was regarded as a professor, although his formal title was "senior lecturer." He taught three courses per year and was invited to join the faculty in a full-time tenure-track position several times, but he declined due to his high-demand career in politics and public service.

Obama's law license became inactive in 2007, and he elected to change it to "'retired' status in February 2009 after becoming president." He is currently listed as "'voluntarily retired and not authorized to practice law' in Illinois, but he could return to active status and practice law if he desired.

Michelle Obama, the first African-American First Lady of the United States, graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988 and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. She joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin, where she met Barack Obama. After a few years, she decided to pursue a career in public service, serving as assistant commissioner of planning and development in Chicago's City Hall. She then became the founding executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program that prepares youth for public service.

In 1996, Michelle Obama joined the University of Chicago, where she developed the university's first community service program as Associate Dean of Student Services. She later became Vice President of Community and External Affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center. Michelle voluntarily changed her law license status to inactive in 1993 or 1994 and is currently listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law" in Illinois. However, she could also return to active status if she desired.

The Obamas' law licenses and social media misinformation

Social media posts have widely circulated misinformation about the Obamas and their law licenses. These posts claim that Barack and Michelle Obama surrendered their licenses to practice law to avoid disciplinary action or criminal prosecution.

However, this is false. Neither Barack nor Michelle Obama has ever been the subject of attorney disciplinary proceedings in Illinois. Barack Obama was admitted to the Illinois State Bar Association on December 17, 1991, and is listed as ""retired" and "not authorized to practice law or provide pro bono services." Michelle Obama, who was admitted to the bar on May 12, 1989, is listed as "voluntarily inactive" and also "not authorized to practice law." Both could return to active status and practice law if they desired.

The confusion may have arisen because Michelle Obama was listed as being on "court-ordered inactive status." However, this was simply because prior to the end of 1999, Illinois ARDC rules required a proceeding in court for any voluntary transfer to inactive status. It was not an indication of any wrongdoing on her part.

Barack Obama chose to have his law license placed on "voluntarily inactive" status after he announced his candidacy for president in 2007 and changed it to "retired" after becoming president in early 2009. He no longer needed an active law license for his work, and this is a common step for those with high-demand careers in politics or public service.

The Obamas are not the only public figures to be the subject of misinformation on social media. Former President Barack Obama has also been falsely accused of signing a law in 2012 or 2013 that made it legal for the media to purposely lie to the American people. This claim is also false. The legislation he signed changed the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, also known as the Smith-Mundt Act, and allowed some materials created by the U.S. Agency for Global Media to be disseminated in the U.S. It did not repeal the Smith-Mundt Act or make it legal for the media to spread misinformation.

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