US Appeals Court Rules Against Pleading Leniency for Self-Representing Attorneys

In a recent ruling, the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has clarified that licensed attorneys representing themselves in court are not entitled to the same “pleading leniency” typically afforded to non-lawyers appearing pro se. This decision was highlighted in a July 23 opinion by Judge Neomi Rao, who explained that trained legal professionals are generally not considered unsophisticated litigants requiring special protections. The case involved Jo Spence, who had been terminated after 11 years working as an attorney at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Spence’s contention that she should receive the same leniency as a standard pro se litigant was not upheld by the court, as detailed in the Bloomberg Law report.