Kara Sears
Michelle Obama, an American attorney and author, is the wife of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States. She graduated from Harvard Law School and began her legal career at the law firm Sidley Austin. However, she is currently listed as voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law in Illinois, where she was admitted to the bar in 1989. This status means that she cannot practice law based on her Illinois license, but there is a process for her to regain active status and resume practicing law if she chooses to do so in the future.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama |
| Maiden Name | Michelle LaVaughn Robinson |
| Date Admitted to the Bar | May 12, 1989 |
| Last Registered Year | 1993 |
| Illinois Registration Status | Voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law |
| Disciplinary Proceedings | None |
| Reason for Surrendering Law License | False claims of insurance fraud |
| Current Authorization to Practice Law in Illinois | No |
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What You'll Learn
Michelle Obama's law career
Michelle Obama is a lawyer by profession. She graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in sociology and African American studies in 1985. She then attended Harvard Law School, receiving her Juris Doctor in 1988.
After graduating from law school, Michelle returned to her hometown of Chicago and began working at the law firm Sidley & Austin (now known as Sidley Austin LLP). She specialized in intellectual property law and met her future husband, Barack Obama, while working at the firm. In 1994, she chose to change her registration status to inactive, which meant that she could no longer practice law based on her Illinois license.
Seeking a more public-service-oriented career path, Michelle left the firm in 1991 and became an assistant to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. From 1992 to 1993, she served as the assistant commissioner for the Chicago Department of Planning and Development. During this time, she also founded the Chicago branch of Public Allies, a leadership-training program for young adults.
Michelle Obama went on to hold various positions in Chicago city government and at the University of Chicago. She worked as an associate dean and in several executive roles, including serving as vice president for community and external affairs of the University of Chicago Medical Center. She also actively supported her husband's political career during his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.
From 2009 to 2017, Michelle Obama served as the first African-American First Lady of the United States. During her time in this role, she focused on various initiatives, including supporting military families, promoting healthy eating, and encouraging physical activity among children. She also launched the Reach Higher Initiative to inspire young people to pursue education beyond high school and the Let Girls Learn initiative to promote education for adolescent girls worldwide.
Since leaving the White House, Michelle Obama has continued her work supporting young people and military families. She has also published two best-selling books, "Becoming" and "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times". She currently works with the Obama Foundation and the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois.
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Michelle Obama's law license status
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. She joined the corporate law firm Sidley Austin in Chicago, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama.
In 1994, while working for the Public Allies project in Chicago, Michelle Obama voluntarily chose to place her law license on "inactive" status. A lawyer who has gone on inactive status still holds a valid law license but is not currently engaged in any professional activities requiring an active license. As per the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois, Michelle Obama is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law."
There have been false claims that Michelle Obama "voluntarily surrendered" her law license in 1993 to avoid charges of insurance fraud. However, a court official confirmed that no public disciplinary proceedings have ever been brought against her. The online registration record previously listed her as "on court-ordered inactive status," but this was not due to any wrongdoing. Before 1999, an Illinois Supreme Court rule required active lawyers who wanted to change their registration status to do so by petitioning the court.
Michelle Obama could return to active status and practice law if she desired. She would need to file a motion with the Illinois Supreme Court requesting to be transferred back to active status and pay the registration fee for the year she requested to reactivate.
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Reasons for surrendering her law license
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. She joined the Chicago corporate law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama.
In 1994, Michelle Obama voluntarily had her law license placed on "inactive" status. This meant that she was “not authorized to practice law based upon [her] Illinois license." It is important to note that this was not due to any disciplinary action or wrongdoing. Before 1999, an Illinois Supreme Court rule (Rule 770) required active lawyers who wanted to change their registration status to inactive to petition the court. This rule applied to any voluntary transfer to inactive status, whether due to an incapacitating condition or the lawyer's preference. Obama filed a motion seeking a transfer to inactive status, and the court granted this request.
There have been false claims that Michelle Obama surrendered her law license to avoid disciplinary action, specifically to escape charges of insurance fraud. However, these claims are not true, and there is no public record of any discipline or pending proceedings against her. The Illinois ARDC confirmed that neither Barack nor Michelle Obama has ever been the subject of attorney disciplinary proceedings in Illinois.
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Michelle Obama's law education
Michelle Obama, born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, is an American lawyer and author. She served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017 and is married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States. Michelle Obama is a graduate of Princeton University, where she studied sociology and African-American studies, and Harvard Law School, from which she graduated in 1988.
Michelle Obama has spoken about the challenges she faced as a Black woman pursuing higher education and achieving her two Ivy League degrees. She has described feeling "a little intimidated" when she first arrived on campus at Princeton in 1981, despite knowing that she would be underestimated. However, after receiving all A's in her first semester, she realised that her self-doubt was influenced by the environment she was in and the world grounded in racism she inhabited.
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Michelle Obama joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin (also known as Sidley Austin LLP), where she met her future husband, Barack Obama. They were among the few African Americans at the firm. In her early legal career, she worked at the law firm before deciding that her true calling was working with people to serve their communities. She then moved on to work in nonprofits and served as the assistant commissioner of planning and development in Chicago's City Hall. She also became the founding executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program that prepares youth for public service.
Michelle Obama does not currently hold an active license to practice law. She is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorised to practice law" by the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois. However, it has been noted that she could return to practising law if she decided to. The process for Michelle Obama to regain her license to practice law would involve filing a motion with the Illinois Supreme Court to request a transfer back to active status.
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Michelle Obama's eligibility to practice law
Michelle Obama is a graduate of Harvard Law School. In her early legal career, she worked at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama.
Michelle Obama was admitted to the Illinois bar on May 12, 1989, and was last registered in 1993. She is currently listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law". This means that she is not authorized to practice law based on her Illinois license. However, according to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 756, an attorney on "voluntary inactive status" can ask the court for restoration to active status. Michelle Obama could, therefore, return to active status and practice law if she desired.
There are false claims circulating that Michelle Obama surrendered her law license in 1993 to avoid charges of insurance fraud. These claims are unfounded and have been refuted by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, which states that there have never been any disciplinary actions against Michelle Obama.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Michelle Obama is currently not authorized to practice law. She was admitted to the Illinois bar on May 12, 1989, and was last registered in 1993. She is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law." However, she could return to active status and practice law if she desired.
There are false claims that Michelle Obama surrendered her law license in 1993 to avoid charges of insurance fraud or disbarment. However, the real reason was that she chose to focus on her career and family. Before 1999, an Illinois Supreme Court rule required active lawyers who wanted to become inactive to petition the court.
Yes, Michelle Obama worked at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama.
