Walter Olson explains that Law School at Hofstra University may be lawyering just a little bit too close to the edge.

The brochure (PDF) for the Hofstra legal ethics conference announces that “Hofstra Law School is an accredited NYS CLE [Continuing Legal Education] provider. Continuing Legal Education credits and scholarships are available.” Yet in the discussion at Legal Ethics Blog, commenter “V. May” points to the New York regulations governing continuing legal education, which declare in one provision, Part 1500.4b (5), that “Continuing legal education courses or programs to be accredited shall comply with the following guidelines”:

The course or program shall not be taught by a disbarred attorney, whether the disbarred attorney is the sole presenter or one of several instructors.

The Hofstra brochure designates Lynne Stewart among “Conference Faculty”, but does not warn registrants of the danger of partial or complete loss of CLE credit. Lawyers are asked to pay $475 to attend the conference.

Stewart will be a member of the final panel of the conference, another member of which will be none other than Ron Kuby.

“I want a f****** lawyer, man. I want Bill Kunstler or Ron Kuby.” — Jeffrey Lebowski aka The Dude.

Earlier posting


Lynne Stewart

Walter Olson notes that:

Hofstra Law School, and its Institute for the Study of Legal Ethics, are hosting Lynne Stewart, but their biographical blurb somehow forgets to note that she was convicted of providing material aid to terrorists and then disbarred. Must have been lack of space.

The blind Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman

Ms. Stewart was merely imprisoned and disbarred for assisting her translator to convey a message to 1993 World Trade Center bombing master-mind Omar Abdel-Rahman in prison from Egyptian terrorist group, and then delivering his response at her press conference.