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"CHARLESTON - Michael Mounts admits he has a massive ego and a checkered past, but he doesn't see why those should keep him from practicing law in West Virginia.<br /><br />Mounts has asked the Supreme Court of Appeals to overrule the Board of Law Examiners and admit him to the practice of law.<br /><br />The board turned him down in March, rejecting the recommendation of a hearing examiner who found him fit for the profession.<br /><br />He will plead his case to the Supreme Court of Appeals on Tuesday, Sept. 11.<br /><br />Mounts represents himself in his quest for a license.<br /><br />Addressing the Court in third person he wrote, \"&hellip;the best way to prove his fitness was to provide a live demonstration of his lawyering abilities.\"<br /><br />He wrote, \"Second, he wanted to be solely responsible for the presentation of his case and the outcome of this matter.\"<br /><br />He argued that the Court recently admitted a convicted felon to the practice of law, and he asked the Court to judge him by the same standards.<br /><br />His mistakes have clung to him for 14 years.<br /><br />In 1993, at the end of a marriage, he charged his wife with harassment and she filed a civil assault charge against him.<br /><br />Nothing came of the charges.<br /><br />In divorce proceedings in Maryland, a judge held him in contempt but did not impose a penalty.<br /><br />Next his employer, the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration, transferred him to Charleston and paid for the move.<br /><br />He had found a girlfriend, and he moved her belongings with his. When his bosses asked him if he did it, he denied it.<br /><br />That elevated his misconduct from cheating to lying. The DEA fired him.<br /><br />He applied for a license as a private investigator. He wrote that DEA fired him because he was falsely accused. <br /><br />He got the license, but under cross examination at a murder trial he lied about his DEA termination.<br /><br />He married again but it did not go smoothly. Once he and she injured each other. Once he slapped their son in the mouth.<br /><br />In 2000 he applied to Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Va. <br /><br />On a blank for arrests or charges, he did not report the ex-wife's assault charge.<br /><br />The school accepted him and for three years he made a 314 mile round trip. He graduated in 2004.<br /><br />He applied for admission to the West Virginia Bar. He did not report the Maryland contempt order.<br /><br />The Bar Association's district character committee interviewed him and recommended further review by the Board of Law Examiners.<br /><br />The board interviewed him and asked him to undergo a psychological evaluation at his own expense.<br /><br />He paid $600 for the exam and submitted the evaluation to the board.<br /><br />The board ruled in September 2005 that he did not demonstrate the requisite character and fitness for the practice of law.<br /><br />They found that DEA fired him for misappropriating public funds and lying to investigators.<br /><br />They found that on his private eye application he denied culpability for his termination from DEA.<br /><br />They found that on his law school application he failed to disclose his ex-wife's assault charge.<br /><br />They found \"more recent incidents of domestic violence.\"<br /><br />They found that in his interview with them, he was \"not entirely candid\" about his DEA termination.<br /><br />He asked for a hearing. The board granted it and picked John Fowler as hearing examiner.<br /><br />Fowler held three days of hearings. Mounts produced Bar members as character witnesses and submitted letters of recommendation.<br /><br />This February, Fowler decided that the State Bar should admit Mounts.<br /><br />He wrote that Mounts had a checkered past and a massive ego, and that he might exaggerate.<br /><br />He wrote, \"&hellip;none of these criteria is sufficient to deny him admission to the West Virginia Bar.\"<br /><br />Fowler's opinion did not impress the Board of Law Examiners. In March they affirmed their earlier decision.<br /><br />In April Mounts filed exceptions with the Supreme Court of Appeals. <br /><br />He wrote that he learned from his mistakes.<br /><br />He wrote that on his private eye application he provided as much explanation as he felt the application requested. He wrote that the Secretary of State never asked for further explanation.<br /><br />He wrote that he did not know he had been charged with assault and he believed his ex-wife had only threatened to file charges.<br /><br />He wrote that testimony did not support the contention that he had a history of misconduct in personal relationships.<br /><br />He wrote that he was 100 percent honest in his interview with the board.<br /><br />He wrote that at the murder trial he misspoke a word about his termination, and that subsequent testimony corrected the misstatement.<br /><br />He wrote that the Maryland judge issued no contempt order.<br /><br />He wrote, \"Mr. Mounts does not claim to belovable.\"<br /><br />For the board, John Hedges of Morgantown responded that Mounts displayed \"a pattern of dishonesty, misconduct and lack of candor.\"<br /><br />He wrote that Mounts tried to excuse or discount this pattern.<br /><br />He wrote, \"&hellip;the false testimony was more extensive than simply misspeaking one word.\"<br /><br />He wrote that the Maryland judge found Mounts in contempt and gave him an 18 month suspernded sentence.<br /><br />He wrote that Mount's refusal to acknowledge the contempt order \"reveals an unparalleled arrogance and lack of respect.\"<br /><br />He wrote, \"Mental and emotional stability are part of the qualifications required to practice law.\"<br /><br />He wrote, \"Honesty, candor and respect for others are chief among the qualities a prospective lawyer must possess.\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://wvrecord.com/stories/510592713-man-to-plead-his-own-case-before-supreme-court-to-become-lawyer>