Minnesota Lawyer Gets Suspended License As Retirement Gift

You know the old saying: To err is human. To discipline a lawyer for the 15th time is enabling. Over his long, decades-spanning career, Joseph Kaminsky collected so many disciplinary rebukes that the Fast and Furious franchise is probably taking notes on his technique.

They should have at least 9 months to dedicate to studying — that’s the length of Kaminsky’s latest suspension.

From Wisconsin Law Journal:

The Minnesota Supreme Court announced Jan. 10 that Joseph Kaminsky was indefinitely suspended from the practice of law, with no right to petition for reinstatement for nine months…Though he has practiced for over 50 years, he has faced discipline that spans over 43 years of his practice. Kaminsky has been disciplined 14 times since 1979. He has been admonished nine times, put on private probation twice, and suspended twice already. As the court noted, Kaminsky was previously discipline[d] for misconduct that was of the same type as he was recently disciplined for.

Not only was he a frequent flyer, he was a double dipper! The “I learned my lesson this time” speech is a really hard sell when you’re back in for the same thing you did last time. Kaminsky argued against the suspension, stating that the Court should leave him alone because he was planning on retiring soon anyway. It would have been nice to have stopped practicing on his own terms, but after getting in this much trouble over a sustained period of time you can’t be mad about your career going out with a whimper.

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 boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.