Friday, December 11, 2009

Kuns now practicing law again

CORRECTION: Ms. Kuns was disbarred from practicing before the State Supreme Court. This website was under the impression from the order she was barred from practicing in Ms, which was not the case. A call to the state bar, review of the order, and consulting with other attorneys were made before posting. I am very aware of sanctions and what they are but was under the impression as written earlier she was disbarred. That was not the case and an apology goes to Ms. Kuns. The post was made to point out she was practicing again and was actually taking up for her. Thanks goes to those who pointed out the error. Unlike the JFP, things don't just disappear or get ignored like at the CL, when we screw up, we say so on this site.




Laura Kuns is practicing law again. Jackson Jambalaya reported earlier this year she had been disbarred by the Mississippi Supreme Court. The former MC Law School professor had testified to having an affair with then-Justice Oliver Diaz in his trial. Ms. Kuns was disbarred for (ready for this?) not paying $1,500 in lawyer fees. How many clients stiff their attorneys on legal fees yet she gets disbarred. Can we say payback by the good ole boys? Disbarment

Since this website reported she was disbarred, it's only fair to report she is reinstated and currently practicing law again. There was something that just seemed terribly wrong about a former State Supreme Court Justice practicing law and living the good life while his former girlfriend lost her job because of his inability to stay out of trouble, and his friends on the Court disbar her for such a small amount. Isn't that how it works in Mississippi? The man does what he wants and the woman pays for it? Hope her career takes off again because the former member of the Mississippi College Law Review is a very talented and capable attorney.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Plus she has two children, one of whom is autistic, that she's raising along with her ex-husband. Certainly hasn't helped her financially.

Anonymous said...

i was a student of hers at MCSOL. she was the most disorganized and irresponsible professor i had there. she wouldn't show up for class, student meetings, etc. i feel for her with her children but, consistently not showing up for classes and meetings without letting the students know anything ahead of time is unacceptable and certainly not a trait that I would look for in an attorney.

Anonymous said...

She still in Jackson? Anon, sorry to hear of your experience. However, I'd say that your experience is far more preferable than having a professor who treats class as a comedy club open mike night, ones that don't give you feedback, and others that just dismiss you with "are you bothering me" curious looks. "Yes I am... I'm paying you to teach me."

Jim Craig said...

Who is she practicing with?

Anonymous said...

As I read the Order Ms. Kuns was not "disbarred" at all - she was held in contempt for failing to pay sanctions (generally awarded to another lawyer or firm for some failure to follow the rules on the part of a lawyer - in the Order Ms. Kuns was the one sanctioned). The order merely said she could not practice before the Supreme Court until she paid the amount she was sanctioned for... As for the "good ole boys" - I am not sure anyone on the Court should be considered a "good ole boy"... And about affairs (if your article is accurate about this), it is really sad when any man or woman gets involved with someone not their spouse...generally a person creates their own problems, but it sure is easy to blame other people

Kingfish said...

The Court said she was "barred from the practice of law". I would say that is disbarred. When she met their conditions, they obviously reinstated her license.

Accurate about an affair? It was on the front page of the Clarion-Ledger and she admitted to it on the stand. Good enough for you?

Anonymous said...

Accurate as the sun rises in the east. She paid the price for her complicity in Diaz and Minor's graft; while Diaz walked away with nothing more than unwarranted, arrogant indignation.

Anonymous said...

9:33-May your superior moral judgment always guide your decisions.

Anonymous said...

Laura is one of the most talented, professional people I know (and I've worked with A LOT of lawyers and law professors!) I studied under her and helped her with research on a few cases. I am very glad to hear that she is getting her career back on track.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand. Why didn't she just pay the $1500 rather than get disbarred?

Anonymous said...

She was broke ?

Anonymous said...

Kingfish - your comment leaves off an important part of the Order - while it does state she was "barred from the practice of law", the sentence does not end there but goes on to say "BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT" - not in all courts - she was sanctioned and could not appear before the Supreme Court again until she paid the money she was santioned...

Anonymous said...

She was never barred from the practice of law, only before the Supreme Court. Please don't spread false rumors around about her. She's had a hard enough time without this type of misinformation all over the place.

Chachi_Azzhola said...

HEY, KINGFISH!! I hope you have libel and defamation insurance because I just read the Court order you linked. That is NOT an order of "disbarment": It is a contempt citation by the Court. A disbarment proceeding calls into account an attorney's professional or ethical conduct and is initated by the state bar acting in a prosecutorial capacity following an investigation. A contempt citation merely penalizes a failure to comply with a pre-existing Court order on matters that have already been before the Court and has absolutely no bearing on this particular sanctioned attorney's honesty or professional competency. ANYONE (lawyer or not) who is found in contempt by the Court is ordered to purge themselves of the contempt and pay the sanction before they may appear before the Court again. Contempt citations with money sanctions are really quite a common occurrence in domestic relations cases in chancery courts. You REALLY jumped the shark on this one. Free legal advice for you: Remove this entire post and pray Mrs. Kuns has not seen it.

Chachi_Azzhola said...

Nice of you to add the "correction" at the top of the page a couple of hours after reading my previous post, BUT the first sentence of your "correction" is still quite wrong. Again, Kuns was not "disbarred" and your correction continues the defamation. Attorneys are not "disbarred" (your word) from practicing before a Court. Kuns was, in fact, barred from practicing before the Court until she purged herself of the contempt. There's a huge difference between being professionally "disbarred" and merely being "barred" until you meet a Court's condition. In the future, you can find records of MS Bar's disciplinary actions in back issues of "The Mississippi Lawyer" magazine - the pages you want to read there are even color-coded for fast access.

Kingfish said...

So why was she sanctioned? Why don't you answer that question since you want to continue to be a jerk.

Kingfish said...

as for praying she hasn't seen it, gimme her email address and I'll send it to her. I have no problem calling your bluff.

Anonymous said...

I don't know KF, but I know Laura.

I took this post as a congratulatory one in that some people were overly negative about Laura and it is a good thing if she is getting things in order. Good for her.

As someone who has made more than his share of mistakes, I could not imagine having such a personal one made public and the ensuing aftermath that KF correctly described.

So, why not just be glad for her that things are going back on the right track? Some people are such asshats that they can't stand to see someone improve.

Anonymous said...

F-in' lawyerin'...nice to see you threaten instead of participate in constructive conversation...

Go KF, let the lawyers whine...WAAAA!

And the dope actually said he/she was leaving "free" legal advice? Never heard of it!

Anonymous said...

And why must we go to the magazine? Shouldn't this information be published online to PROTECT THE PUBLIC from those unable to maintain the high standards of the MS Bar?

Kingfish said...

And they are about the only profession in Mississippi that does not post their complaint forms online.

The Missisippi Lawyer is published five times a year. The summer issue is online here

They will probably argue thus it is available online. You just have to go digging through old issues to find the information though. Hmmm...Maybe every time an issue comes out I should start posting the disciplinary actions. Gave me my next post. Thank you Chachi le cocksucker. The other lawyers in the state are really going to love you.

Anonymous said...

Nice! Very Nice. Some of these bozo's should be careful for what they ask for, they just might get it! Nice work KF! I applaud your work!

Anonymous said...

Another thing, I think I have a copy of the complaint pamphlet and a copy of the complaint form...want a copy?

Anonymous said...

Can someone explain something to me? Is it typical in MS for married public figures to file income tax forms separately from his/her spouse? In the Diaz case, his wife pled guilty, but he fought it and got acquitted. If they filed "married" they both must have signed the form at the bottom swearing all info was true, so how could the same info lead to her being guilty if he was innocent? A similar thing applied to the mayor of a Madison County town whose spouse was found guilty of deceiving a landowner out of the rightful value of a property, then sold it and pocketed the difference without paying taxes on it. The settlement was sealed, but I wonder about the mayoral spouse, and if the settlement covered charges for filing false statements for both parties. Curiously, this question has never come up in any subsequent campaign.

Kingfish said...

Hell yes. Email them to me. We'll post them here.

Gamecock said...

Kingfish, Your Bluff is officially called. Laura Kuns' professional contact e-mail and her physical address, like every other Mississippi lawyer in good standing, is currently (12/16/09) in the attorney directory section at msbar.org and YOU should have known that. I am in SC, and I found it. Feel free to send Kuns your little entry about her "disbarment" as you promise above, and think about this: You just blew the absence of malice defense there too with that little entry of yours to Chachi. Do tell us how it goes.

Kingfish said...

Sue away, sweetpea.

Anonymous said...

Instead of telling him how sweet his pea is to you, You really should send it to Miss Kuns since you claimed you would and the guy above told you how to get it to her. So what if she sues you? You're a blogger: It's not like a blogger would have any assets worth suing for.


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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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