WILMINGTON, DE – It looks like the former first son is going to have to find a new form of employment after he gave up his license to practice law. The former energy CEO turned fecal artist is now searching for another gig as he continues with financial hardships after his father lost the 2024 election.
Hunter Biden, son of former U.S. President Joe Biden, has voluntarily surrendered his license to practice law in the District of Columbia, according to a court filing released on Tuesday. The decision marks the end of a months-long saga that began with efforts by D.C. bar authorities to strip him of his legal privileges following a series of federal felony convictions.
The filing, submitted to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, indicates that Biden opted to relinquish his license rather than face a protracted disciplinary battle. The move follows a push by the D.C. Bar Office of Disciplinary Counsel and the Board on Professional Responsibility, which initiated proceedings in late June 2024 to suspend Biden’s law license. The action was prompted by his conviction on three felony counts related to lying on a gun application, a case that concluded with a guilty verdict in Delaware earlier that year.
Biden’s legal troubles didn’t end there. In September 2024, he pleaded guilty to multiple tax evasion charges in a separate federal case in Los Angeles, admitting to a years-long scheme to avoid paying taxes while funding an extravagant lifestyle. The combination of these convictions placed his law license under intense scrutiny, as D.C. bar rules classify felonies as “serious crimes” that can warrant immediate suspension or disbarment.
By voluntarily giving up his license, Biden sidesteps what could have been a contentious and public disciplinary process. Such proceedings would have required the bar to determine whether his crimes involved “moral turpitude,” a threshold that, if met, mandates disbarment under D.C. law. The consent agreement, however, keeps the details of his affidavit confidential, sparing him further exposure of the underlying issues tied to his convictions.
The 55-year-old Yale Law graduate, once a practicing attorney with high-profile firms and international business dealings, has not worked as a lawyer in recent years. Instead, he has pursued ventures in art and writing, though his legal woes have overshadowed those efforts. His gun case, which centered on false statements about drug use during a 2018 firearm purchase, and the tax case, which detailed millions spent on personal excesses, drew national attention—amplified by his status as the son of a sitting president at the time of the trials.
The disciplinary process was complicated by a controversial twist: a blanket pardon issued by President Joe Biden on December 1, 2024, just weeks before Hunter’s scheduled sentencing in both cases. The pardon nullified his convictions, sparing him potential prison time—up to 25 years for the gun charges and 17 years for the tax offenses. Critics argued the pardon undermined accountability, while supporters, including the former president, claimed the prosecutions were politically motivated. Regardless, the pardon did not shield Biden from the D.C. Bar’s authority, which operates independently of criminal outcomes and can still discipline attorneys based on underlying conduct.
Biden’s decision to relinquish his license closes a chapter on his legal career, one that began with promise but became mired in scandal. While he avoids the spectacle of a disbarment hearing, the move does not erase the broader fallout from his convictions, which have fueled political firestorms and public debate. For now, Hunter Biden steps away from the legal profession, leaving behind a license he held since 2007 and a legacy marked by both privilege and controversy.
