On Tuesday, the son of former President Joe Biden filed an affidavit under seal in the DC Court of Appeals, stating his “consent to disbarment,” per the New York Post. The court has to formally accept the DC Bar’s Board on Professional Responsibility's recommendation and Biden's consent to disbarment before the decision is made official.
Hunter Biden was admitted to the Washington, DC, bar in 2007. His license was suspended last year after he was found guilty in federal court of lying about drug use to obtain a firearm. He later pleaded guilty to several charges, including three felonies that stemmed from tax evasion.
Before leaving office in December, President Biden issued his son a “full and unconditional” pardon, despite previously stating he would not intervene in his son’s legal matters.
The legal proceedings against Hunter’s license were initiated by the DC Bar’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which considers any felony a “serious crime.” The DC Court of Appeals directed the bar’s Board on Professional Responsibility to “institute a formal proceeding to determine the nature of the offense and whether it involves moral turpitude,” leading to his decision to consent to disbarment.
Although Hunter paid the required $331 annual fee to maintain his DC Bar membership, he never actively practiced law in the district. However, he held an “of counsel” position at the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner LLP while his father was vice president.
Hunter, who resides in Southern California, also holds a law license in Connecticut, which is under administrative suspension for failure to pay a reinstatement fee.
