Cameron Miranda
Barack Obama does not currently have a license to practice law. He was admitted to the Illinois State Bar Association on December 17, 1991, and was last registered in 2008, the year he was elected president. Obama chose to have his law license placed on voluntarily inactive status in February 2007 after announcing his candidacy for the presidency and changed it to voluntarily retired after becoming president. There is no record of any disciplinary actions or pending proceedings against him.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Barack Obama's license status | Voluntarily retired and not authorized to practice law |
| Michelle Obama's license status | Voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law |
| Reason for surrendering license | To escape charges of lying on his bar application |
| Michelle Obama's reason for surrendering license | To avoid standing trial for insurance fraud |
| Year Barack Obama surrendered license | 2008 |
| Year Michelle Obama surrendered license | 1993 or 1994 |
| Illinois ARDC's statement on disciplinary actions | No disciplinary actions against either Barack or Michelle Obama |
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What You'll Learn
Barack Obama's law license status
Barack Obama was admitted to the Illinois State Bar Association on December 17, 1991. However, he is no longer authorized to practice law. His Illinois registration status is listed as "retired" and "not authorized to practice law or provide pro bono services". He last registered in 2008, the year he was elected president.
Obama elected to have his law license placed on "voluntarily inactive" status in February 2007 after announcing his candidacy for the presidency. He changed his status to "voluntarily retired" after becoming president in early 2009.
There is no record of any disciplinary actions or pending proceedings against Obama. James Grogan, deputy administrator and chief counsel for the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois, affirmed that Obama was “never the subject of any public disciplinary proceedings”. The Illinois State Bar Association continues to list him as an Honorary Member.
Obama could return to practicing law if he decided to. He would have to submit a written or online notification stating that he intended to return to active status and pay the registration fee for each year that he was retired.
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Michelle Obama's law license status
Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988 and was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. Following her graduation, she joined Sidley Austin, a corporate law firm in Chicago. However, in 1994, while working for the Public Allies project in Chicago, Obama voluntarily chose to have her license placed on "inactive status".
A search on the website of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois shows that Michelle Obama is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law". This status means that she still holds a valid law license but is not currently engaged in any professional activities that require it to be active.
There have been several false claims that Michelle Obama "voluntarily surrendered" her law license in 1993 to avoid charges of insurance fraud. However, court officials have confirmed that no public disciplinary proceedings have ever been brought against her.
Michelle Obama could return to active status and practice law if she desired. The process would involve filing a motion with the Illinois Supreme Court to request a transfer back to active status. She would only have to pay the registration fee for the year she requested to return to active status.
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The Obamas' eligibility for license reinstatement
Barack and Michelle Obama are no longer authorized to practice law. However, they were not forced to surrender their licenses due to disciplinary actions or criminal charges. Both Obamas had their licenses listed as inactive before they were changed to retired. Barack Obama was admitted to the Illinois State Bar Association on December 17, 1991, and his last registered year was 2008, the year he was elected president. Michelle Obama was admitted to the bar on May 12, 1989, and was last registered in 1993.
The Obamas could return to practicing law if they decided to. President Obama would have to submit a written or online notification stating his intention to return to active status and pay the registration fee for each year that he was retired. Michelle Obama would have to file a motion with the Illinois Supreme Court requesting to be transferred back to active status, as she changed her status under old Supreme Court Rule 770. She would only have to pay the registration fee for the year she requested to return to active status.
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Reasons for surrendering law licenses
There are several reasons why an individual may surrender their law license. One common reason is disciplinary action or pending disciplinary proceedings. In some cases, lawyers may choose to surrender their licenses voluntarily to avoid potential disbarment or other sanctions. This could be due to unethical behaviour, criminal conduct, incompetence, or incapacity. For example, Andrew Thomas, the former County Attorney of Maricopa County, Arizona, was disbarred for "outrageously exploiting power, flagrantly fostering fear, and disgracefully misusing the law".
Another reason for surrendering a law license is a change in career path or a decision to no longer practice law. In some jurisdictions, lawyers who are not actively practicing may choose to place their licenses on "inactive" status, which may require periodic fees and continuing education classes to maintain. By surrendering their licenses, individuals can avoid these costs and requirements.
It is important to note that the rules and procedures for surrendering law licenses can vary depending on the jurisdiction and the specific circumstances involved.
Barack Obama's Law License
Barack Obama, the former president of the United States, is no longer a licensed lawyer. He surrendered his law license in 2008, after being elected president. However, there is no evidence that he surrendered his license to escape charges of lying on his bar application, as some have claimed. Instead, it appears that he chose to retire his license as he no longer needed it for his work. Obama is listed as "voluntarily retired and not authorized to practice law" by the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
Michelle Obama, the former first lady, also does not hold an active law license. She chose to voluntarily surrender her license in 1993, before her husband's political career began. Contrary to rumours, this was not due to insurance fraud but was likely due to her not needing an active license for her work. She is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law".
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Obama's academic career
Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to parents Barack H. Obama Sr., a black Kenyan studying in the United States, and Stanley Ann Dunham, a white American from Kansas. Obama's father left the family when he was two, and after further studies at Harvard University, he returned to Kenya. After his parents divorced, Obama's mother married another foreign student at the University of Hawaii, Lolo Soetoro of Indonesia. From age six to ten, Obama lived with his mother and stepfather in Indonesia, where he attended Catholic and Muslim schools.
Concerned about his education, Obama's mother sent him back to Hawaii to live with her parents and attend Hawaii's prestigious Punahou School from fifth grade until he graduated from high school. While Obama was in school, his mother divorced Soetoro, returned to Hawaii to study cultural anthropology at the university, and then went back to Indonesia to do field research. Living with his grandparents, Obama played varsity basketball and later admitted to "dabbling in drugs and alcohol," including marijuana and cocaine.
After graduating from Punahou School in 1979, Obama first attended Occidental College in Los Angeles before transferring to Columbia University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1983. After graduation, Obama briefly worked as an analyst at Business International Corporation in New York City before changing his career direction toward community service organizing. He relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1985 when he accepted a job with the Developing Communities Project, eventually rising to the role of Director. Obama worked with low-income communities on Chicago's South Side, often collaborating with local religious organizations and civic groups.
In 1988, Obama enrolled at Harvard Law School, where he excelled as a student, graduating magna cum laude and winning election as the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review for the academic year 1990-1991. During a summer internship at Chicago's Sidley and Austin law firm after his first year at Harvard, Obama met Michelle Robinson, his future wife. As the first African American president in the long history of the law review, Obama drew widespread media attention and a contract from Random House to write a book about race relations. The book, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995), turned out to be mostly a personal memoir, focusing on his struggle to come to terms with his identity as a black man raised by whites in the absence of his African father.
Obama returned to Chicago in 1992 and served as the Illinois Executive Director of PROJECT VOTE!. In 1996, Obama was elected to represent the 13th district in the Illinois Senate, a position he held until 2004. As a State Senator, he served as the Democratic Spokesperson for the Public Health and Welfare Committee and Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, in addition to being a member of the Judiciary and Revenue Committees. He also worked as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School from 1996 until 2004, teaching three courses per year. Obama was elected to a second term in the Illinois State Senate in November 1998.
In 2000, Obama made his first run for U.S. Congress, challenging Democratic incumbent Bobby Rush in the Democratic primary. However, he suffered a significant defeat, losing by a 30-percentage point margin. In 2004, Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, and was subsequently elected as the junior Senator from Illinois in November of that year. While serving as a U.S. Senator from Illinois, Obama completed his second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, published in October 2006.
On February 10, 2007, Obama formally announced his candidacy for President of the United States. He accepted the Democratic Party's nomination at Invesco Stadium in Denver, Colorado, on August 28, 2008, and went on to win the election, becoming the first African-American President of the United States. He was inaugurated as the 44th President on January 20, 2009, and served two terms until 2017.
During his presidency, Obama oversaw significant domestic and foreign policy initiatives. He responded to the 2008 financial crisis with measures such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Obama appointed Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan and advocated for gun control and climate change initiatives. In foreign policy, he ordered the 2011 military intervention in Libya, contributed to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, and initiated sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Outside of politics, Obama has published three books: Dreams from My Father (1995), The Audacity of Hope (2006), and A Promised Land (2020). His presidential library began construction in Chicago in 2021. Historians and political scientists rank him among the upper tier of US presidents.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Barack Obama does not have a license to practice law. He surrendered his license in 2008 after announcing his candidacy for president in 2007.
No, there is no evidence to support this claim. The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of Illinois has confirmed that there have never been any disciplinary actions against Barack Obama.
Barack Obama is listed as "retired" and is not authorized to practice law or provide pro bono services.
Yes, Barack Obama can return to active status and practice law if he chooses to. He would need to submit a written or online notification of his intention to return to active status and pay the registration fee for each year that he was retired.
