Fisher Phillips Attorney Secures Pro Bono Victory Before Oregon Supreme Court

In a case that stretches back more than 30 years, Fisher Phillips attorney Stephen Scott has secured a victory for Robert Parker who was repeatedly denied admission to the Oregon State Bar.

The case involves a 1992 decision by the Oregon Supreme Court to uphold the denial of Robert Parker Jr. to the Oregon bar despite Parker successfully passing the written portion. At the time, the Board of Bar Examiners recommended that Parker’s application be denied considering its negative character and fitness hearing. But that hearing was flawed and unfairly prejudicial from beginning to end, and the supreme court has now restored justice ruling to overturn its decision and admit Parker to the bar.

Stephen, a lawyer in Fisher Phillips’ Portland office, took on the case pro bono and argued that the denial was riddled with well-documented bias, conflicts of interest and other irregularities. “For more than 30 years, Robert has lived beneath the weight of case,” said Stephen, who committed countless hours to the case over a five-year period. “Despite all his hard work in the face of unlikely odds to complete college, then law school, and then to pass the bar, Robert was kept out. I commend the state supreme court for making the right call and restoring justice not just for Robert but for the whole bar that he now joins.”

Parker was initially denied entry into the bar based on accusations that were never substantiated. During an initial review of those allegations, the investigation contained references to interracial dating and that Parker was a Black Muslim–details that were completely irrelevant to the case. When Parker appealed to the state supreme court for the first time, the court ignored important precedent that would have reversed the decision. Parker’s case was steeped in clear conflicts of interest and systemic bias against minorities–as detailed in a report issued at the time.

Earlier this year, the Oregon State Senate passed a resolution asking the state supreme court to approve Parker’s petition, finding that Parker “engaged in no wrongdoing or unethical conduct,” as alleged decades ago.

The case is In the Matter of the Application of Robert Roosevelt Parker, Jr. For Admission to the Practice of Law in Oregon, case number SC S38473.