Attorney licensing rules are a routine part of legal regulation across the country, but courts periodically take sweeping action when lawyers fall behind on required filings. In New York, that process recently led to a mass suspension order affecting attorneys tied to Manhattan and the Bronx. The action drew attention because the court records reference registration periods going back many years, including earlier enforcement notices involving 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 filing cycles.
New York court suspended more than 1,000 attorneys in one order
The New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, First Judicial Department, suspended attorneys en masse for failing to comply with Judiciary Law Section 468-a, according to a March 20, 2025 court order and the court’s delinquent-registration notices. The order states that about 1,095 attorneys had failed to submit satisfactory proof of registration and payment of applicable fees after repeated notices. The suspension took effect immediately for the lawyers whose names were listed on the attached schedule.
Per the court’s published decision, New York requires every resident and nonresident attorney admitted in the state to file a biennial registration statement with the administrative office of the courts and to pay a registration fee if one applies. The court said that requirement applies whether or not the attorney is actively practicing in New York or elsewhere. Attorneys who certify that they have retired from practice are exempt from the fee, but they still must comply with the registration system.
The First Department said the Office of Court Administration mailed or emailed notices to defaulting attorneys at their last known home and business addresses and, when necessary, sent a final notice to a home address. After those notices, the court published an omnibus warning in the New York Law Journal on November 4, 2024, stating that immediate suspensions would be sought if lawyers did not cure their defaults by December 4, 2024. A default list was then published beginning January 13, 2025, and the court said no opposition had been filed before the suspension order was granted…