disbarment
disbarment, n. The action of expelling a lawyer from the bar or from the practice of law, usu. because of some disciplinary violation. • One who has passed the bar, been called to the bar, or been admitted to the bar is privileged to stand inside the wooden barrier that separates the gallery from the actual courtroom, particularly the judge’s bench, and conduct business with the court. So this term literally describes the loss of the privilege. Although disbarment is typically a permanent removal from the practice of law, in some jurisdictions a disbarred attorney may (after a certain period) petition for readmission. In England and Wales, only a barrister is disbarred; a solicitor is struck off the roll, so the expulsion of a solicitor is termed striking off the roll. See STRUCK OFF. [Cases: Attorney and Client 58. C.J.S. Attorney and Client §§ 116–118.] — disbar, vb.
