We’ve covered some very cool law school side hustles — raking in six figures as a “Jeopardy!” contestant is a personal favorite. That isn’t the only way to rake in six figures as a student though. An attorney found a way to skim hundreds of thousands of dollars while he was still a law student. It just cost him his license. Court News Ohio has coverage:
The Supreme Court of Ohio today permanently disbarred a Gallia County attorney who was convicted of theft after stealing more than $225,000 from an estate he administered.
Nathan Harvey was a legal assistant attending law school when attorney Britt Wiseman arranged for Harvey to serve as the administrator of an estate. Shortly after opening a bank account for the estate, Harvey immediately began stealing from it. Wiseman later discovered the theft and reported Harvey’s actions to disciplinary authorities.
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Writing for the Supreme Court majority, Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy stated that Harvey’s case is a first for Ohio, “and a disturbing case of first impression it is: a law student who put into action a theft scheme to misappropriate client funds for two years and eight months and did not get caught until” after he was certified as a legal intern and admitted to practice law.
The disbarment was a corrective measure. Harvey was previously sentenced to 60 months of community control and had his license indefinitely suspended, but the severity of his abuse of client trust deserved a harsher sentence. You don’t hear about someone ruining their legal career before they start it every day. Fun fact: after law school, Harvey went on to become an assistant prosecutor. Call me crazy, but if I knew I stole six figures from someone, I’d be doing my damndest to stay as far away from that office as possible. Goes to show that thinking like a lawyer doesn’t require common sense.
For every hopeful going to law school with the express purpose of earning money, this is not the way to do it.
Court Disbars Attorney Who Stole $225,000 From Client’s Estate [Court News Ohio]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boat builder who is learning to swim and is interested in rhetoric, Spinozists and humor. Getting back in to cycling wouldn’t hurt either. You can reach him by email at christopherrashadwilliams@gmail.com and by Tweet/Bluesky at @WritesForRent.
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