Keith Mack
Hillary Clinton's license to practice law in Arkansas lapsed in 2002, while she held a seat in the U.S. Senate, and after which she served as U.S. secretary of state. Since neither office required her to maintain her law license, nor was it necessary for her presidential campaign, her law license has remained inactive ever since. However, in 2024, Clinton's Arkansas law license was reinstated after 17 years of suspension. This came about as a result of her paying a reinstatement fee, and no longer needing to meet Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Hillary Clinton's license to practice law in Arkansas | Lapsed in 2002 |
| Reason for the lapse | Failure to complete continuing education requirements |
| Law license status | Inactive |
| Year of reinstatement | 2019 |
| First woman in history to represent a major party in a US presidential election | 2016 |
| First lady elected to the US Senate | N/A |
| First female senator from New York | N/A |
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What You'll Learn
- Hillary Clinton's license to practice law in New York lapsed in 2002
- Clinton was the first woman to be made a full partner at the Rose Law Firm
- She was recognised as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America
- Clinton's early litigation work focused on family law and domestic disputes
- She was a successful attorney while raising her daughter, Chelsea
Hillary Clinton's license to practice law in New York lapsed in 2002
Clinton's legal career began in 1973 when she was admitted to the Arkansas bar. She specialized in patent infringement and intellectual property law while working pro bono in child advocacy. She was the first woman to be made a full partner at the Rose Law Firm in 1979, where she was considered a "'rainmaker'" due to her corporate connections and the prestige she brought to the firm. During her time at the firm, she earned a higher salary than her husband, Bill Clinton.
Clinton's early litigation work focused on cases related to family law and domestic disputes. She was also involved in state education policy and chaired the Arkansas Education Standards Committee in 1983, where she successfully fought for mandatory teacher testing and state standards for curriculum and classroom size. In 1985, she introduced Arkansas's Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youth, which helps parents work with their children in preschool preparedness and literacy.
Clinton continued to practice law with the Rose Law Firm while she was the first lady of Arkansas. Her last appearance of record in an Arkansas court was in May 1992, before she became the first First Lady to hold a law degree when her husband, Bill Clinton, was elected president in 1992. She continued to practice law as late as 1994 but did not discuss her legal career when campaigning for president.
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Clinton was the first woman to be made a full partner at the Rose Law Firm
Hillary Clinton's license to practice law in the state of New York is inactive. Her license to practice law in Arkansas lapsed in 2002, while she held a seat in the U.S. Senate, and after which she served as U.S. Secretary of State. Since neither office required her to maintain her law license, nor was it necessary for her presidential campaign, her law license has remained inactive ever since.
Clinton was twice named by The National Law Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America—in 1988 and 1991. She was also very influential in the appointment of state judges. However, Bill Clinton's Republican opponent in his 1986 gubernatorial reelection campaign accused the Clintons of a conflict of interest because Rose Law did state business. The Clintons countered the charge by saying that state fees were walled off by the firm before her profits were calculated.
Clinton's time at the Rose Law Firm was not without controversy. She and her husband were involved in an ill-fated investment in the Whitewater Development Corporation real estate venture with Jim and Susan McDougal. Additionally, her role as the governor's wife and partner at the firm led to accusations of ethical conflicts, with the firm having to turn away some business.
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She was recognised as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America
Hillary Clinton's license to practice law in Arkansas lapsed in 2002, while she held a seat in the U.S. Senate, and after which she served as U.S. Secretary of State. Neither of these offices required her to maintain her law license, nor was it necessary for her presidential campaign, so her law license has remained inactive since. However, the lapsed status of her license is not due to professional misconduct, nor is it equivalent to disbarment.
Clinton's legal career has been under scrutiny since she became First Lady during her husband's presidency in 1993. She continued to practice law as late as 1994, and rumours have incorrectly asserted that she was fired from the Watergate investigation for "unethical conduct" and that she was disbarred for legal misconduct.
Clinton was recognised as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal in 1988 and 1991. She was one of only four female lawyers featured on the 1988 list. She was considered influential due to her work as a litigator, which included representing businesses and defending large corporations. She was also the first chair of the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession, created to address gender bias in the legal profession.
Clinton's work as a lawyer also included teaching criminal law at the University of Arkansas School of Law, where she was one of only two female faculty members. She was considered a rigorous teacher who was tough with her grades. She also established the university's first legal aid clinic and became its first director.
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Clinton's early litigation work focused on family law and domestic disputes
Hillary Clinton's license to practice law in Arkansas lapsed in 2002, while she held a seat in the U.S. Senate, and after which she served as U.S. Secretary of State. Since neither office required her to maintain her law license, nor was it necessary for her presidential campaign, her law license has remained inactive ever since. The lapse in her license was not due to professional misconduct or disbarment.
Clinton's early litigation work at the Rose Law Firm focused on family law and domestic disputes. She was one of the few women litigating cases in the state and carefully calibrated her appearance and approach. She was also very influential in the appointment of state judges. Clinton was twice named by The National Law Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America—in 1988 and 1991.
Clinton's legal work included unsavory criminal cases. In one instance, she represented a 41-year-old factory worker accused of raping a 12-year-old girl. The client requested a female lawyer, and a Fayetteville judge appointed Clinton, despite her objections. Due to the crime lab mistakenly discarding crucial evidence, Clinton reached a plea bargain, reducing the charge to unlawful fondling, and her client served less than a year in jail.
Clinton's legal career has been under scrutiny since she became First Lady during her husband's presidency in 1993. During Bill Clinton's first presidential run in 1992, her years as a corporate litigator at the Rose Law Firm were exhaustively examined for possible conflicts of interest involving clients like Tyson Foods, Wal-Mart, and Madison Guaranty. However, little attention has been paid to her work in the courtroom, which included representing a moving company, a crop duster, and a canning company.
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She was a successful attorney while raising her daughter, Chelsea
Hillary Clinton's license to practice law in Arkansas lapsed in 2002, while she held a seat in the U.S. Senate, and after which she served as U.S. Secretary of State. Since neither office required her to maintain her law license, nor was it necessary for her presidential campaign, her law license has remained inactive ever since. However, this is not due to professional misconduct or disbarment. In fact, Clinton was twice named by The National Law Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America—in 1988 and 1991.
Clinton's early litigation work had a large focus on family law and domestic disputes. After moving to Little Rock, Arkansas, following her husband's election as attorney general of Arkansas, Clinton joined the esteemed Rose Law Firm as the firm's first female associate. She was the first woman to be made a full partner at the firm, and was one of only a handful of women acting as litigators in the state of Arkansas.
Clinton was the state's first first lady to be employed during her husband's governorship. At the firm, she specialized in patent infringement and intellectual property law while working pro bono in child advocacy. She rarely performed litigation work in court, and many of her cases involved defending large corporations. She was considered a "rainmaker" at the firm due to the prestige she brought and her corporate connections.
Clinton's success as an attorney continued while she raised her daughter, Chelsea, who was born in 1980. Throughout her husband's tenure as governor (1979-81, 1983-92), Clinton worked on programs that aided children and the disadvantaged, while also maintaining a successful law practice. During this time, she also published the scholarly articles "Children's Policies: Abandonment and Neglect" in 1977 and "Children's Rights: A Legal Perspective" in 1979, demonstrating her continued commitment to children's law and family policy.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Hillary Clinton was not disbarred. Her license to practice law in Arkansas lapsed in 2002, while she held a seat in the U.S. Senate, and after which she served as U.S. Secretary of State. Neither office required her to maintain her law license, nor was it necessary for her presidential campaign.
Her license was suspended in March 2002 for failure to complete continuing education requirements.
Hillary Clinton served as a U.S. senator representing the state of New York from 3 January 2001 until 21 January 2009. However, there is no information suggesting that she currently holds an active license to practice law in New York.
