What happens when a lawyer in WA is convicted of a DUI?

Any criminal conviction can potentially be a problem, depending on the facts of the case and whether you have any other criminal history or disciplinary history with the bar. A single DUI is not a crime of dishonesty and by itself is not usually seen as showing poor moral fitness to practice law. A DUI may however be indicative of alcoholism or a character defect that could be concerning to the bar. A DUI is one crime that is not contained within one particular group of society. There are lawyers, doctors, accountants, and plenty of other professionals that have been convicted of DUI and life goes on. Make sure you contact an attorney that has dealt with this situation before.

What may happen is an investigation by the Bar Association into the lawyer's situation. The Bar may or may not take action depending on the attorney's actions. For example, if the investigation uncovers the attorney is a raging alcoholic who routinely comes to court drunk, the Bar will almost certainly take some kind of corrective action. If the investigation finds, like most convicted of DUI, that the attorney just made a mistake and took all corrective action to fix the issue, the Bar will most likely do nothing. The details matter.

Since losing your license and livelihood are potential, if unlikely outcomes, I'd immediately consult with disciplinary defense counsel to review all the particular details that could effect how this incident is viewed by the bar. At your service,