HOUSTON – Less than a week after Sean Teare was sworn in as Harris County’s new district attorney, a surprising discovery was made, but could it all have been a simple mistake?
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The State Bar of Texas’ website early Monday morning had an asterisk saying Teare was not eligible to practice law and his statutory profile was last certified on April 29, 2024.
When asked, Teare’s team, told KPRC 2 Investigates reporter Robert Arnold, it was a misunderstanding.
What happened?
According to the state’s list of licensed Texas attorneys not eligible to practice, Teare is said to have failed “to comply with MCLE requirement,” otherwise known as “minimum continuing legal education.”
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His team, however, told KPRC 2 Investigates reporter Robert Arnold, it was the result of an administrative error. At the height of the campaign, Teare missed 2 of the required Continuing Legal Education (CLE). This was in September.
When he realized he missed those 2 hours he immediately took the CLE and was in compliance. However, Teare did not realize there was an associated fine with missing the deadline to get his CLE complete
He is not sure how he missed the paperwork notifying him of the extra fee, but when Teare realized he owed the fee he said, immediately paid it on Saturday, January 4. That should have immediately taken care of the issue, so he does not know why the Bar listed him as ineligible.
The DA’s Office brought the attention to the State Bar’s website, and the issue has since been corrected.
Meanwhile, the State Bar of Texas shared the following statement with KPRC 2:
“Mr. Teare was placed on an administrative suspension, for non-compliance with Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) requirements, effective 12/31/2024. He was reinstated to active status on 1/4/2025.”
