by
Jennifer
S.
Altman/For
The
Washington
Post
via
Getty
Images)
Michael
Avenatti
managed
to
speedrun
the
full
Above
the
Law
experience.
He
spent
2018
as
the
most
visible
lawyer
in
America
while
representing
Stormy
Daniels
and
appearing
on
CNN
approximately
seven
thousand
times
as
a
thorn
in
Donald
Trump’s
side.
He
even
floated
a
presidential
run
and
appeared
on
America’s
favorite
podcast.
His
domination
of
the
news
that
year
earned
him
Above
the
Law’s
2018
Lawyer
of
the
Year
award.
Then
he
became
the
other
kind
of
ATL
story,
as
cases
cropped
up
on
both
coasts
alleging
an
effort
to
extort
millions
in
settlement
money
from
Nike,
stealing
$300,000
from
Stormy
Daniels
—
his
own
client
—
through
identity
theft
and
wire
fraud,
embezzling
millions
from
four
other
clients
including
a
mentally
ill
paraplegic,
and
obstructed
IRS
efforts
to
collect
payroll
taxes
from
his
coffee
business.
His
domination
of
the
news
for
all
the
wrong
reasons
earned
him
a
nomination
for
our
Lawyer
of
the
Year
award
in
2022.
Ultimately,
Avenatti
landed
in
federal
prison.
But
now
he’s
back!
Or
at
least
halfway
back,
as
TMZ
reports
the
former
gadfly
attorney
currently
resides
at
a
halfway
house
in
Hollywood
until
September
2028,
which
is
spectacularly
on-brand.
Avenatti
was
reportedly
released
Tuesday
after
serving
roughly
four
years
of
his
11-year,
3-month
sentence
(he
was
once
sentenced
to
14
years,
but
resentencing
shaved
some
time
off).
He
still
owes
$5,937,725.58
in
restitution
and
is
required
to
participate
in
mental
health
treatment.
Avenatti
built
his
fame
as
Trump’s
most
aggressive
legal
antagonist.
He
emerges
into
a
world
where
Trump
is
back
in
the
White
House
shielded
with
functional
total
immunity
courtesy
of
judicial
fiat
and
lawyers
who
break
the
basic
rules
of
professional
responsibility
collect
lifetime
judicial
appointments
instead
of
halfway
house
assignments
(as
long
as
they
do
it
on
the
government’s
behalf).
None
of
this
is
to
suggest
that
Avenatti
was
treated
unfairly.
But
it
does
underscore
how
lawyerly
misconduct
is
a
one-way
ratchet.
Over/under
on
when
he
launches
a
Substack?
I’m
taking
the
under.
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a
Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.