Wisconsin Lawyer Suspended for One Year Following Conviction for Spitting on Black Teenager During 2020 Protest

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ordered a one-year suspension of the law license of Stephanie Rapkin, a Wisconsin attorney convicted of disorderly conduct after spitting on a Black teenager during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in June 2020. The disciplinary action, detailed in a ruling issued on Thursday, addresses not only the high-profile confrontation captured on video in the Milwaukee suburb of Shorewood but also compounding professional misconduct allegations, including the mismanagement of an estate and the charging of nearly $19,000 in improper fees.

In its ruling, the state’s highest court concluded that "a period of suspension is clearly in order," bluntly noting that "the incident is an embarrassment to the bar." The decision brings a fresh chapter of accountability to an episode that unfolded during a period of intense national reckoning over racial justice and police accountability following the murder of George Floyd.

The 2020 Incident and Chronology of Events

The origins of the disciplinary case date back to the early days of June 2020, a time marked by widespread civil unrest and demonstrations across the United States. On June 6, 2020, a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest took place in Shorewood, a residential village just north of Milwaukee.

According to filings by the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR), Stephanie Rapkin, who was operating a private legal practice in the area, encountered the demonstration. An argument ensued between Rapkin and several youthful protesters. During the confrontation, which was recorded on video and subsequently circulated widely on social media and news broadcasts, Rapkin spat directly into the face of a 17-year-old African-American teenager participating in the march.

The physical assault triggered immediate local outrage and swift legal repercussions. In the days following the incident, law enforcement arrested Rapkin. However, the legal and professional fallout extended across several years due to judicial scheduling, public scrutiny, and subsequent investigations into her broader professional conduct.

The timeline of key developments highlights the prolonged nature of the accountability process:

• June 6, 2020: Stephanie Rapkin spits on a 17-year-old protester during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Shorewood, Wisconsin.
• June 2020: Local law enforcement investigates the incident, and criminal charges are filed against Rapkin.
• April 2023: Following a protracted legal process, Rapkin is officially convicted of misdemeanor disorderly conduct in connection with the spitting incident.
• Post-Conviction Investigation: The Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation initiates disciplinary proceedings, uncovering separate allegations regarding Rapkin’s handling of a client’s estate and unresponsiveness to regulatory inquiries.
• September 18, 2026: The Wisconsin Supreme Court formally issues its disciplinary ruling, imposing a one-year suspension of Rapkin’s law license and condemning her actions as damaging to the legal profession’s reputation.

Compounding Disciplinary Violations: Estate Management and Regulatory Defiance

While the public visibility of the case centered heavily on the 2020 street confrontation, the OLR’s complaint against Rapkin went beyond the criminal misdemeanor conviction. Regulatory authorities revealed that Rapkin had engaged in serious professional malpractice concerning her fiduciary duties to clients.

According to the OLR’s findings, Rapkin severely mismanaged a client’s estate. In the course of handling the probate matter, she assessed and charged approximately $19,000 in "improper fees" to the estate, violating professional ethical standards regarding reasonable compensation and fiduciary trust.

Furthermore, Rapkin demonstrated a pattern of non-cooperation with the regulatory bodies charged with policing the legal profession. During the formal investigation into her conduct, a court-appointed referee repeatedly attempted to obtain answers, documentation, and clarifications regarding both the estate discrepancies and her fitness to practice. Rapkin failed to respond to these official inquiries. Her only substantive communication with the referee was a brief email in which she asserted that she had retired from the active practice of law—an assertion that does not automatically shield an attorney from disciplinary oversight or retroactive sanctions for prior misconduct.

Official Responses and Legal Standards

The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s unanimous sentiment reflected the gravity of an attorney engaging in assaultive criminal behavior while also breaching core fiduciary duties. In the legal profession, a lawyer is designated as an officer of the court, held to a high standard of public trust, civility, and adherence to the rule of law.

Legal ethics experts note that criminal convictions involving moral turpitude, violence, or bias-related conduct almost universally trigger disciplinary reviews. By spitting on a minor during a civil rights demonstration, Rapkin crossed a threshold from private citizen disputes into professional misconduct that undermines public confidence in the legal system. The court’s explicit declaration that the behavior was "an embarrassment to the bar" underscores the judiciary’s view that membership in the legal profession carries an ongoing obligation to uphold basic standards of human decency and respect for the law.

Representatives for the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation emphasized that the disciplinary system must act decisively when attorneys fail to meet these baseline expectations, whether through public misconduct or financial malfeasance involving vulnerable client estates.

Broader Impact and Implications for the Legal Profession

The suspension of Stephanie Rapkin serves as a notable case study regarding the intersection of personal conduct, public accountability, and professional licensure. In recent years, bar associations and state supreme courts nationwide have increasingly scrutinized the out-of-court behavior of attorneys, particularly when actions involve violence, discrimination, or high-profile breaches of public peace.

For the legal community in Wisconsin, the ruling provides a definitive boundary line. Attorneys do not shed their professional responsibilities when engaging in political discourse or community disputes. When an officer of the court commits a misdemeanor assault—especially one captured on video and rooted in a confrontational socio-political context—the institutional response is designed to protect the integrity of the judicial system rather than merely punish the individual.

Additionally, the inclusion of estate mismanagement charges in the disciplinary order highlights the multifaceted risks clients face when an attorney’s professional focus or ethical compass falters. The extraction of nearly $19,000 in unauthorized or improper fees from an estate represents a direct financial harm to beneficiaries, compounding the reputational damage caused by the street-level altercation.

As the one-year suspension goes into effect, Rapkin will be barred from rendering legal services, representing clients, or holding herself out as an active attorney in the state of Wisconsin. To return to practice after the suspension period concludes, she would face stringent reinstatement requirements, which typically involve demonstrating rehabilitation, satisfying any financial restitution orders, and proving to the board of bar examiners that she is fit to re-enter the legal profession.

The case ultimately closes a protracted chapter of legal and professional accountability, reinforcing the principle that professional privileges are inextricably tied to personal accountability, adherence to ethical codes, and respect for the communities attorneys are sworn to serve.