A Washington, D.C., attorney avoided disbarment in both District of Columbia and Pennsylvania after he allegedly misappropriated funds and failed to supervise his paralegal.

While a typical sanction for such misconduct is disbarment, Archie Leon Rich II was granted some leeway after a disciplinary hearing committee found that he established the elements of Kersey mitigation, a sanction based on disability. Rich provided evidence that he suffered from alcohol use disorder (AUD) at the time of the alleged misconduct, that AUD substantially caused his misconduct, and that he is substantially rehabilitated from AUD, according to a December report and recommendation of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility.