Officials: 3 state attorneys not licensed to practice law in RI
By Alana Cerrone
@Alana_Cerrone
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – Jessica Roche, chief legal counsel for the Rhode Island Department of Education, is leaving her job with the state. ABC6 News has learned she was never a member of the Rhode Island Bar – according to a spokesperson, she was planning to pass the bar here next month.
Now, she’s decided to move out of state. Officials insist the move is unrelated to the recent scandal involving other state attorneys including Gregory Hazian, who resigned after missing the deadline for the state to appeal a Medicare ruling. He wasn’t in good standing with the bar association at the time.
Gregory Madoian, Deputy Chief of Legal Services with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services,
stepped down from his post in April. Court records show he had also been removed from Rhode Island’s Master list of Attorneys.
Department of Administration Director Michael DiBiase directed state employees to make sure they’re up-to-date on their licenses, sending a memo saying in part, "…it is the responsibility of the individual employee to maintain such required licenses or certifications in good standing…"
Governor Gina Raimondo has asked the Attorney General to investigate how these state attorneys’ statuses may have slipped through the crack. She’s also directing the Department of Administration to find if there are any others who aren’t fit to practice law.
Raimondo added that it’s a misdemeanor to knowingly practice law when you’re not in good standing.
©WLNE-TV 2018
