Legal Ethics
Top Neb. Court Disbars Depressed Lawyer Who Kept Practicing During Earlier Suspension
William Switzer argued that his depression should be a mitigating factor weighing in favor of suspension rather than disbarment.
But the Omaha, Neb., attorney apparently tipped the balance in favor of the ultimate legal ethics sanction by continuing to practice during a previous 18-month suspension that began in 2008, according to the Associated Press.
At some point, a court referee said in the case, “mitigation must yield to considerations of protection of the public,” and the Nebraska Supreme Court agreed, ordering today that Switzer be disbarred. It also cited cumulative ethical transgressions as a basis for harsher discipline.
He was admitted in 1987.
