On Tuesday, March 7, 2023, the Supreme Court of Missouri ordered the disbarment of Kansas attorney Juliane L. Colby in relation to her guilty plea to smuggling heroin to an inmate at the Western Missouri Correctional Center.
The case is titled “In re: Juliane L. Colby” with case no. SC99907.
Colby pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin on February 8, 2022.
According to the press release by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, Colby hid the heroin in an envelope marked as “Legal Mail” that also contained numerous pleadings and documents from an inactive criminal court case along with photos of herself. Eight small baggies that contained a total of 3.25 grams of black tar heroin were taped behind the flap of the envelope. The envelope was labeled with a fictitious return address for a law firm and addressed to another inmate, identified in court documents as Conspirator 2, who was housed in the same unit as Conspirator 1.
U.S. District Judge Greg Kays sentenced Colby to one year and one-month prison term without parole, on August 9, 2022.
Based on Colby’s aforementioned conviction, the Chief Disciplinary Counsel submitted information and a motion for a final order of discipline to the Court. Thereafter, an order to show cause, why Colby should not be disciplined, was issued by the Court on December 27, 2022, to which Colby responded.
Accordingly, the Court ruled against Colby in relation to her above-cited conviction.
The disposition reads:
“It is ordered by this Court that Respondent, Juliane L. Colby is hereby disbarred, that her right and license to practice law in the State of Missouri is canceled and that her name be stricken from the roll of attorneys in this state.”
Costs were taxed against Colby.
Ms. Juliane L. Colby practiced in Shawnee, Kansas. She has been admitted to the Missouri bar, license no. 67525.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
