Given Mr. Munson’s
woeful history with the Illinois
Attorney Registration And Disciplinary Commission , an agency of the Illinois Supreme Court that investigates “allegations of misconduct by lawyers” and prosecutes “the cases where a lawyer's misconduct suggests a threat to the public or to the integrity of the legal profession,” and his continued misrepresentations of the facts of the case, it is difficult to understand what qualifies him as a legal expert and what constitutes “closely following the case.”
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Equally confusing are both Mr. Munson’s assertion that he is “baffled by the conduct of Mike Nifong” and the mock disdain he shows in this comment: “As a lawyer and as a journalist, I am appalled at what he did . . .” With a penchant for misconduct that is
well documented by the Illinois Attorney Registration And Disciplinary Commission, including “conduct which is prejudicial to the administration of justice,” one might expect that Munson could relate quite well to Defendant Nifong’s actions and current difficulties with the North Carolina State Bar. With regard to Defendant Nifong, one might expect that the combination of Munson's personal experience and self promoted ability "to put criminal charges and civil litigation in the sports industry into a context that gives new insights" would not leave him baffled nor appalled.
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After his admittance to the Illinois State Bar in 1976 and practicing law for 13 years, it appears Munson, facing multiple charges of misconduct occurring during a time he was already on probation by the Ilinois Bar, voluntarily agreed to discontinue practicing law. As a mitigating factor in his misconduct, Munson pointed to his alcoholism. In its 1991 decision to suspend Munson’s law license because of his continued misconduct while on probation, the Disciplinary Commission wrote:
“On September 30, 1986, Respondent was suspended from the practice of law for three years and until further order of the Court, and this suspension was stayed and Respondent was placed on probation for three years with conditions. In re Munson, No. 85 CH 57, M.R. 4029. Respondent's misconduct included his neglect of three client matters as well as misstatements regarding the status of two of the client matters. Respondent's misconduct was attributable to his alcoholism.”
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“In October 1989, Respondent discontinued practicing. Respondent has no current intention to return to the practice of law.
