Oakhurst attorney publicly reprimanded by Supreme Court of Pennsylvania over courthouse gun incident

On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania publicly reprimanded attorney Mark Bae Jander for bringing an unlicensed gun into the courthouse.

The case is entitled “Office of the Disciplinary Counsel v. Mark Bae Jander,” with case no. 67 DB 2023.

The respondent was subjected to censure by the Supreme Court of New Jersey on January 10, 2023, due to his illicit possession of a firearm without the required permit. It was reported that the respondent unlawfully carried a loaded gun into a courthouse and concealed it within his bag.

The report states:

“On the morning of June 17, 2019, the respondent took his trial bag to the Middlesex County Superior Courthouse, where he was scheduled to appear for trial. He failed to remove the handgun from his trial bag before entering the courthouse, despite having had exclusive control of the bag since the night before. Upon entering the courthouse, the respondent placed his trial bag through a scanner, which revealed his handgun. Although the respondent agreed to allow a sheriff’s officer to search his bag, he first attempted to search the bag himself to demonstrate that it contained no weapons. However, the officer instructed the respondent to step away from the bag and then removed the fully-loaded handgun. Because the respondent did not have a permit to carry a handgun, he was arrested and charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5(b(1).”

The report continues:

“The members of the Disciplinary Board argued that the appropriate discipline is censure for it would be unfair for the respondent to have more serious consequences than those with similar cases. Moreover, the respondent accepted responsibility for his actions and had relatively reported his criminal charge and conviction to the OBC. Consistent with this, the Supreme Court of Louisiana adopted the decision.”

In lieu of the said censure against the respondent made by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, the Office of the Disciplinary Counsel in Pennsylvania filed a petition to the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court in support of discipline against the respondent. The latter, having reviewed and approved the joint petition, publicly reprimanded the respondent from the practice of law.

The Disposition states:

“AND NOW, this day of May 2023, in accordance with Rule 215(g), Pa.R.D.E., the three-member Panel of the Disciplinary Board having reviewed and approved the Joint Petition in Support of Discipline on Consent filed in the above-captioned matter; it is ORDERED that MARK BAE JANDER be subjected to a PUBLIC REPRIMAND by the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania as provided in Rule 204(a) and Rule 205(c)(9) of the Pennsylvania Rules of Disciplinary Enforcement.”

As of today, Mr. Bae is listed on the website of the law firm Falcon Law Firm, LLC as a practicing attorney. He practices in Oakhurst, New Jersey. He is licensed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. His info can be found on martindale.com. 

A copy of the original filing can be found here.