Hunter Biden will permanently lose his right to practice law in Washington, D.C., after agreeing to a disbarment proposal from a disciplinary agency, adding another chapter to his ongoing legal issues.
The 55-year-old son of former President Joe Biden submitted a sealed affidavit to the D.C. Court of Appeals on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, expressing his “consent to disbarment.” The D.C. Bar’s Board on Professional Responsibility has recommended the disbarment, which the court must formally approve to take effect.
This voluntary decision helps Biden avoid lengthy proceedings over whether his criminal charges warranted losing his law license. His license was initially suspended in June 2024, shortly after a Delaware federal court found him guilty of providing false information about his drug use to obtain a firearm.
Biden, who graduated from Yale Law School in 1996 and joined the Washington, D.C., Bar in 2007, paid $331 annually to maintain his membership but never actively practiced law in the District. During his father’s vice presidency, he held an “of counsel” role at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, a law firm with Democratic ties.
The disciplinary actions began after Biden’s gun conviction last year. He was found guilty on three felony charges related to a 2018 revolver purchase, which involved falsifying information on a federal form about his drug use and addiction status at that time.
“The D.C. Bar’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel initiated the legal proceedings to suspend Hunter’s law license,” according to court documents. Under D.C. Bar rules, any felony conviction constitutes a “serious crime,” prompting court disciplinary action.
The court then instructed the Board on Professional Responsibility to “institute a formal proceeding to determine the nature of the offense and whether it involves moral turpitude,” which concluded with Biden’s consent to disbarment this week.
Biden has faced additional legal challenges beyond the gun case, including pleading guilty in September 2024 to nine other charges, involving three felonies and six misdemeanors, related to evading $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019.
Federal prosecutors alleged Biden engaged in a four-year scheme to avoid tax assessment, withdrawing millions outside the payroll and tax withholding process. They claimed he spent millions on a lavish lifestyle instead of paying taxes and willfully failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time.
In December 2024, shortly before leaving office, former President Joe Biden issued his son a “full and unconditional” pardon, despite earlier public assurances that he would not intervene in Hunter’s legal matters. The pardon was granted while Hunter waited for sentencing in both cases.
According to the Department of Justice, the combined charges could have led to a maximum of 42 years in prison, though as a first-time offender, Biden was likely to receive a lighter sentence.
With his father’s pardon, Biden’s convictions will not be publicly discussed in the context of his disbarment. Details in the affidavit he filed remain sealed under the terms of the consent agreement.
Now residing in Southern California, Biden holds a law license in Connecticut, currently under administrative suspension due to an unpaid reinstatement fee, according to state records.
Despite relinquishing his law license, Biden is involved in an ongoing legal matter. He has filed a federal libel lawsuit against former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in the Central District of California, represented by attorney Dick Harpootlian.
The D.C. Court of Appeals often accepts voluntary disbarment recommendations, making it likely that Biden’s legal career in the capital will soon be officially concluded.
This development marks the end of one phase in Biden’s professional life, though his artistic endeavors, which he has pursued since 2020, remain unaffected.
