Cameron Miranda
There have been claims on social media that former First Lady Michelle Obama surrendered her license to practice law for committing insurance fraud. However, these claims are false. Obama has never been the subject of attorney disciplinary action and has a valid law license in Illinois. She voluntarily changed her law license status to inactive after leaving her job at Sidley Austin in 1992 and taking a job with a non-profit in 1993.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First Lady's name | Michelle Obama |
| President's name | Barack Obama |
| Reason for alleged surrender of law license | Insurance fraud |
| Year of alleged surrender | 1993 |
| Status of law license | Voluntarily inactive |
| Disciplinary proceedings | None |
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What You'll Learn
Michelle Obama's law license status
There have been rumours circulating on social media that former First Lady Michelle Obama surrendered her license to practice law for committing insurance fraud. These claims 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, Obama voluntarily had her license placed on "inactive" status.
A spokesperson for the Illinois ARDC stated: "Neither Barack nor Michelle Obama has ever been the subject of attorney disciplinary proceedings in Illinois. The 'Lawyer Search' portion of the ARDC's website correctly notes that the Obamas are not currently authorized to practice law in Illinois, but that is because Barack Obama elected to assume retired status and Michelle Obama elected to assume inactive status. Both could return to active status and practice law if they desired."
Michelle Obama holds a valid law license in Illinois. She has never been disciplined or the subject of a disciplinary proceeding in Illinois, and she was never required to "surrender" her law license. Her license is currently on "voluntary inactive status".
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Michelle Obama's law career
Michelle Obama is a lawyer, writer, and the wife of the 44th and current President, Barack Obama. She is the first African-American First Lady of the United States.
Michelle Obama graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in sociology and then attended Harvard Law School, receiving her Juris Doctor in 1988. She returned to her hometown of Chicago to work at the law firm Sidley & Austin, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama. She later decided that her true calling was working with people to serve their communities and left corporate law to work in public service.
Michelle Obama served as the 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, she joined the University of Chicago, where she developed the university's first community service program and worked to maintain diversity in the school.
As First Lady, Michelle Obama pursued several initiatives to support healthy families, service members, higher education, and international adolescent girls' education. She launched the Reach Higher Initiative to inspire young people to continue their education past high school and the "Let's Move" campaign to reduce childhood obesity. She also introduced "Joining Forces," an initiative to support service members, veterans, and their families, and "Let Girls Learn," a program to promote education for girls around the world.
Michelle Obama has never been disciplined or had any attorney disciplinary proceedings in Illinois. She voluntarily changed her law license status to "inactive," which means she is not currently authorized to practice law in Illinois but could return to active status if she desired.
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Misinformation about Michelle Obama
Several sources have addressed misinformation about former US First Lady Michelle Obama. One piece of misinformation is the claim that Michelle Obama surrendered her license to practice law due to disciplinary proceedings or insurance fraud. This claim has been circulated on social media platforms, including Facebook, for several years. However, fact-checking sources have debunked this misinformation, stating that Obama has never been disciplined or the subject of attorney disciplinary proceedings in Illinois. She voluntarily changed her law license status to "inactive," which means she is not authorized to practice law in Illinois but could return to active status if she desired.
Another example of misinformation involving Michelle Obama is the speculation about her marriage with former US President Barack Obama. Rumors about their divorce gained traction after Michelle skipped several high-profile political events, including Jimmy Carter's funeral and President Donald Trump's inauguration. However, the Obamas addressed these rumors head-on during episodes of Michelle's podcast, "IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson," and "The Diary of a CEO." They joked about the speculation, with Barack saying, "She took me back!" and Michelle stating that there hasn't been "one moment" in their marriage where she thought about quitting.
Additionally, some conservative commentators, such as Matt Margolis, have criticized Michelle Obama's statements and views expressed during her "IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson" podcast. Margolis characterized Obama's definition of "freedom" as an "attack" on traditional family values and accused her of promoting an agenda that prioritizes self over family. He interpreted her statements about “finding your own path” and “living your truth” as a rejection of marriage and traditional family roles. Margolis further claimed that Obama's worldview elevates "self over service" and "independence over interdependence," contributing to a rise in broken homes and unstable family environments. However, it is important to note that these interpretations of Obama's statements are subjective and reflect a specific ideological perspective.
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Michelle Obama's education
Michelle Obama, born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, grew up in a one-bedroom apartment on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. Her mother, Marian, was a stay-at-home mum, and her father, Fraser C. Robinson III, worked at the city's water purification plant. Michelle's family emphasised the importance of honesty, hard work, and
Michelle graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree and went on to obtain a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. After graduating from Harvard, she returned to Chicago and joined the law firm Sidley Austin (or Sidley and Austin) in 1988 or 1989. There, she met her future husband, Barack Obama, a summer intern or associate whom she was assigned to advise.
Michelle decided that corporate law was not her ideal lifelong occupation. In 1992, shortly after her father's death, she moved into public service, starting as an assistant to Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley. She then became the assistant commissioner of planning and development for the city of Chicago. In 1993, she began working as the founding executive director for the non-profit Public Allies, an AmeriCorps programme that prepares young people for public service.
In 1996, Michelle joined the University of Chicago as the associate dean of student services, where she developed the university's first community service programme. In 2002, she became the executive director of community and external affairs for the University of Chicago Hospitals. In 2005, she was promoted to vice president of community relations and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Michelle Obama is a writer and the first African-American First Lady of the United States. She is also the third First Lady to have a postgraduate degree. During her husband's presidential campaign, she discussed race and education, using motherhood as a framework. She wrote her own stump speeches and generally spoke without notes. As First Lady, she advocated for healthy families, service members and their families, higher education, and international adolescent girls' education. She initiated the Let's Move! programme, which aimed to end childhood obesity within a generation. She also supported the economic stimulus bill during visits to the United States Department of Education.
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Michelle Obama's work at Sidley Austin
There were claims on social media that former first lady Michelle Obama surrendered her license to practice law due to disciplinary reasons, including insurance fraud. However, these claims are false. Obama holds a valid law license in Illinois and has never been disciplined or the subject of disciplinary proceedings in the state. She has also never been the subject of attorney disciplinary action. She simply changed her law license status to "inactive".
Michelle Obama worked at Sidley Austin as an associate attorney from 1988 to 1991. She joined the firm after graduating from Harvard Law School. In her autobiography, Obama describes her time at the firm in a negative light, stating that she disliked the work and found it unfulfilling. She also mentions the lack of diversity in the firm, noting that there were very few minority lawyers. Despite this, Obama recognised the privileges that came with the job, such as her buffed walnut desk and the view from the 47th floor overlooking Lake Michigan.
During her time at Sidley Austin, Obama was a member of the marketing and intellectual property group. She also worked on teams that represented AT&T Corp in its hostile takeover bid for NCR Corp and Union Carbide Corp in its legal fight to complete a sale of a chemical business unit to Arco Chemical Co despite opposition from the Federal Trade Commission. Obama was ambitious and eager for responsibility, and she didn't hesitate to push for better work assignments. She even went over the head of Quincy White, the now-retired partner who headed the firm's marketing practice, to complain to the human resources department.
Obama also used her experience at Sidley Austin to highlight the lack of diversity in the legal profession. She cited a National Law Journal report that showed the low numbers of African-Americans in big firms in 1990, with less than 1% of partners and around 3% of associates being African-American. She advocated for increasing law firm diversity and argued for recruiting law students from a wider range of schools, not just the top universities.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Michelle Obama never surrendered her law license. Her status is listed as "voluntarily inactive".
No, Michelle Obama has never been the subject of attorney disciplinary action.
Yes, Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988.
Yes, Michelle Obama was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. She joined Sidley Austin, a corporate law firm in Chicago.
No, Barack Obama elected to assume retired status and could return to active status and practice law if he desired.
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