I am a lawyer who went on inactive status. Now, I wish to be reinstated, but I have to file a reinstatement petition because three years have passed since my inactive status. Is there anything I should know about applying for reinstatement from inactive status or administrative suspension?

As has been said in previous articles, it is very, very foolish for a lawyer to let their law license go inactive. There is just no good reason to do that. Most people say, well, I don’t feel like doing the 12 hours of CLEs or paying the $275 annual fee, but that is ridiculous. By letting one’s license go inactive, the lawyer cannot practice in Pennsylvania. More importantly, the lawyer cannot get referral fees. When a case is referred and a lawyer is on inactive status and the lawyer gives the case to a firm or friends, no referral fee can be paid because the lawyer is not an active lawyer. Further, most lawyers don’t realize or appreciate that if you are on inactive or administrative suspension for more than three years, you have to go through a reinstatement process. The filing fee is $500. One may have to hire a lawyer. And it is time-consuming and expensive.

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