Gavin Howe
There have been claims on social media that Michelle Obama surrendered her license to practice law after a federal judge gave her the choice between surrendering her license or standing trial for insurance fraud. However, this claim is 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. She joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin, where she later met her husband, Barack Obama. A few years later, in 1994, she voluntarily had her license placed on inactive status. Neither of the Obamas has ever been the subject of any public disciplinary proceedings, according to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
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What You'll Learn
Michelle Obama is a lawyer and writer
Michelle Obama is a lawyer, writer, and the wife of the 44th and current US President, Barack Obama. She is the first African-American First Lady of the United States.
Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988 and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois in 1989. She joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin (also referred to as Sidley Austin LLP), where she met her future husband, Barack Obama. He was a summer associate, and she was assigned to be his mentor. They married in 1992 and have two daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha (known as Sasha).
In 1993 or 1994, Michelle Obama voluntarily changed her lawyer registration status in Illinois to "inactive", meaning she was "not authorized to practice law". This decision came after she had already left Sidley & Austin to work for the Public Allies project in Chicago. She has never been the subject of any disciplinary proceedings. Obama could return to active status and practise law if she desired.
As First Lady, Michelle Obama has been an advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating. She has continued her efforts to support and inspire young people, launching the Let's Move! initiative in 2010 to address childhood obesity. She has also written four books, including her memoir Becoming (2018) and The Light We Carry (2022).
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She graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988
There is no evidence to support the claim that Michelle Obama surrendered her law license due to disciplinary reasons. The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (IARDC) website states that neither Barack nor Michelle Obama has ever been the subject of attorney disciplinary proceedings in Illinois.
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 then joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama. At the firm, she worked on marketing and intellectual property law. She is the third First Lady to hold a postgraduate degree.
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. During her time as First Lady, she has advocated for healthy families, service members, higher education, and international adolescent girls' education. She has also supported and inspired young people through initiatives like "Let's Move!" and "Joining Forces."
Michelle Obama has continued her work supporting young people and military families since leaving the White House in 2017. She has also published two bestselling books, "Becoming" (2018) and "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times" (2022). She currently works with the Obama Foundation and the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois.
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She joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin
There is no evidence that Michelle Obama surrendered her law license due to disciplinary action. Her Illinois registration status is listed as "Voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law", and she was last registered in 1993. Both Michelle and Barack Obama elected to change their registration status to "inactive" or "retired", which means they may not practice law or present themselves as authorized to do so based on their Illinois licenses. However, neither has been the subject of attorney disciplinary proceedings in Illinois, and both could return to active status and practice law if they desired.
Michelle Obama joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin (also known as Sidley Austin LLP) after graduating from Harvard Law School in 1988. She was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. At Sidley & Austin, she worked on marketing and intellectual property law. She found some of her assignments unexciting and pushed for better work, even going over the head of Quincy White, who headed the firm's marketing practice at the time.
Michelle Obama met her future husband, Barack Obama, while working at Sidley & Austin. They were among the few African Americans at the firm, with Michelle later stating that there were only two, although others have noted that there were others in different departments.
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Michelle Obama voluntarily surrendered her license in 1993
Several sources allege that Michelle Obama "voluntarily surrendered" her law license in 1993 after a federal judge gave her the choice between surrendering her license or standing trial for insurance fraud. However, 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. A few years later, in 1994, while working for the Public Allies project in Chicago, Obama voluntarily had her license placed on "inactive" status.
According to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois, lawyers who voluntarily change their registration status to inactive or retired "may not practice law based upon their Illinois license or hold themselves out as being so authorized." However, this does not mean that they have surrendered their licenses. In fact, neither Barack nor Michelle Obama has ever been the subject of attorney disciplinary proceedings in Illinois, and both could return to active status and practice law if they desired.
The Obamas haven’t shared exactly what prompted them to change the status of their licenses, but it's important to note that there has never been any disciplinary action against them, and they did not surrender their licenses to avoid ethics or misconduct charges.
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There were no disciplinary actions or proceedings against her
There is no evidence to support the claim that Michelle Obama surrendered her law license due to disciplinary action or proceedings. In fact, according to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of Illinois, there have never been any disciplinary actions or proceedings against her.
Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988 and was admitted to the Illinois bar on May 12, 1989. She joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama. In 1994, while working for the Public Allies project in Chicago, she voluntarily changed her license status to "inactive". This means that she is not authorized to practice law in Illinois, but it does not indicate any disciplinary issues.
According to James Grogan, deputy administrator and chief counsel for the ARDC, neither Barack nor Michelle Obama has ever been the subject of any public disciplinary proceedings. This is further confirmed by online public registration records, which show no record of discipline or pending proceedings against either of them.
The claim that Michelle Obama surrendered her law license due to disciplinary reasons is false and has been fact-checked and debunked by multiple sources, including Reuters, FactCheck.org, and Snopes. There is no evidence to suggest that she faced insurance fraud charges or any other ethical or legal misconduct.
It is important to note that individuals may choose to voluntarily change their license status to inactive for various reasons, such as pursuing other career paths or interests. In the case of Michelle Obama, she decided that her true calling was working with people to serve their communities, and she has since dedicated her time to various initiatives and programs focused on community development, education, and empowering young people.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Michelle Obama did not surrender her license to practice law due to disciplinary reasons. She changed her status to "voluntarily inactive" in 1993 or 1994, which means she is not authorized to practice law. However, there have been no disciplinary actions or proceedings against her.
The specific reason for Michelle Obama's decision to change her license status is not known. However, it has been speculated that she wanted to focus on community work and public service.
Yes, Michelle Obama can return her license to active status and practice law if she chooses to do so.
No, Barack Obama did not surrender his law license. He chose to place his license on retired status, which means he is also not authorized to practice law. However, similar to Michelle Obama, he was never subject to any disciplinary proceedings, and he could return to active status if he desired.
