By Jeanne Sager
HANKINS — April 6, 2004 – Callicoon attorney Michael “Mickey” McGrady will probably not be practicing law again.
After giving himself up to police last month for siphoning funds from escrow accounts in his law office out into accounts owned by the Hankins-based non-profit East Ridge Community, McGrady has been disbarred by the State of New York’s Committee on Professional Standards.
McGrady is scheduled to return to court in May to answer felony grand larceny charges for stealing $400,000 of his clients’ money.
But according to Mark Ochs, chief attorney for the committee, that’s a criminal matter, while disbarment is a civil matter – they did not have to wait for sentencing.
Ochs said McGrady’s attorney in the Garigliano Law Office in Monticello contacted the committee and submitted the Callicoon lawyer’s official resignation from practice.
The resignation was accepted, and disbarment was ordered.
According to Ochs, there is no such thing as permanent disbarment – seven years after being banned from practicing law, a lawyer can ask to be reinstated.
That’s extremely rare, however, Ochs said. The 62-year-old McGrady will likely never practice again, he said.

By Jeanne Sager
LIBERTY — April 6, 2004 – Deb Ireland has bitten the very hand that feeds her.
The Liberty attorney has been disbarred from practicing law in New York State – for using the law to “harass or maliciously injure three former clients.”
According to the New York State Committee on Professional Standards, Ireland was suspended last year for six months for misconduct.
She was issued a letter of caution and two letters of admonition from the committee.
Yet, the committee said Ireland is guilty of improperly filing a lien on the residence of a former client and advancing “unreasonable objectives” on behalf of a client “merely to generate legal fees.”
Ireland claimed she had been denied due process in her suspension, but as of last week, the committee had decided there was no merit to her claims. Instead, the group chose to ban the lawyer of 22 years from practicing in the state.
A memo issued by the committee said Ireland’s disbarment was “in order to protect the public, deter similar misconduct and preserve the reputation of the bar.”