Case(s) below are identified by caption and Commission case number. If there is more than one case, the cases are listed from most recent to oldest. A case may have more than one disposition or more than one component to a disposition, in which case each disposition and component is also listed separately within that case record, again in an order from most recent to oldest.

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Disposition	Disbarment
Effective Date of Disposition	01/20/2009
End Date of Disposition	No disposition end date scheduled at this time. Discipline continues until further order of the Court.
Definition of Disposition	Disbarment is a determination that the lawyer has engaged in misconduct warranting the most serious sanction. The disbarred lawyer is not authorized to practice law during the period of the disbarment and may not return to the practice of law unless and until he or she has demonstrated his or her rehabilitation, good character, and current knowledge of the law in a subsequent reinstatement case, which may not be filed until five years after the effective date of the disbarment.
Case Summary	Mr. Kearns, who was licensed in 1991, was disbarred. He made false statements and filed back-dated documents with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Administrative Appeals Unit. He also represented a client in a criminal matter while he was suspended from practicing law for unrelated misconduct.

Disposition	Suspension for a specified period of time and until further order of the Court
Effective Date of Disposition	03/08/2007
End Date of Disposition
Definition of Disposition	A suspension until further order of the Court reflects a determination that the lawyer has engaged in misconduct and that the misconduct warrants an interruption of the lawyer's authority to practice law during the suspension period, which is a fixed period of time identified in the Supreme Court's order and until the lawyer has demonstrated rehabilitation, good character, and current knowledge of the law in a subsequent reinstatement case. The lawyer is not authorized to practice law during the period of the suspension.
Case Summary	Mr. Kearns, who was licensed in 1991, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court. He agreed to represent a South African immigrant extend her tourist visa. Although he knew that the client’s visa prohibited her from working in the United States, he offered her a secretarial job and illegally employed her for several months. During the time of her employment, he prepared and filed two immigration petitions on her behalf which falsely stated that she was not employed and had not violated the terms of her visa. Mr. Kearns also provided incompetent representation and engaged in the unauthorized practice of law in an out-of-state traffic matter. He was suspended on an interim basis on March 8, 2007.

Disposition	Interim suspension until further order of the Court
Effective Date of Disposition	03/08/2007
End Date of Disposition	09/17/2008
Definition of Disposition	An interim suspension reflects the determination of the Supreme Court that a lawyer should be suspended from the practice of law. In imposing interim suspension, the Court orders that the lawyer be suspended until further order of the Court and may impose such conditions as the Court deems necessary. The lawyer is not authorized to practice law during the period of the interim suspension. The Court may terminate the interim suspension upon imposition of final discipline or under other circumstances as the Supreme Court deems just.

Disposition	Reprimand
Effective Date of Disposition	05/20/2003
End Date of Disposition	Not Applicable. Censures and reprimands do not affect the authority of the lawyer to continue to practice law.
Definition of Disposition	A reprimand reflects a determination that the lawyer has engaged in misconduct, but that the violation is not so serious to warrant a sanction that would affect the lawyer’s authority to continue to practice law. As a result, a reprimand does not affect the authority of the lawyer to continue to practice law. A reprimand is the only form of discipline that may be imposed by the Hearing Board or Review Board. All other discipline must be imposed by the Supreme Court.