Imposter prompts courts to check lawyers

DENVER, April 20 (UPI) -- Administrators say they are verifying the credentials of attorneys appearing in U.S. district courtrooms after an ex-convict impersonated a lawyer in Denver.

A report issued by the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management calls on court staffers to verify the law licenses of attorneys after Howard Kieffer, an ex-convict with only jailhouse legal training, gained admission to practice law in federal courts, The Denver Post reported.

The newspaper's investigation revealed that Kieffer last year represented a woman accused of murder-for-hire in U.S. District Court in Denver even though he was not licensed to practice law in any state or jurisdiction. The Post said Kieffer lied on applications and then persuaded local lawyers to vouch for him.

"The small amount of time and effort that would be required for the court to perform (an attorney verification) clearly outweighs the need to retry cases or re-sentence defendants, as well as the damage done to the integrity of the judicial process when it is undermined in this manner," the conference committee reported.

Doug Cressler, chief deputy clerk of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, told the Post that clerks are now calling states where lawyers claim their licenses.