John W. Nields
On the New York attorney register since 1969 · office in Washington, DC
PlainAttorney’s reading of the public register file, not a court record.
- Registration No.
- 1787431
- Admitted
- 1969 · First Department
- Status
- Delinquent
- Next registration
- Sep 2026
John W. Nields is delinquent on the New York attorney register file of Sep 29, 2026. Admitted in 1969 in the First Department, with an office in Washington, DC; next registration due Sep 2026. The status is the same in all 3 files we hold. The month shown is the next cycle’s; the delinquency concerns an earlier registration the register did not receive.
What this status means on the register
On the register, “Delinquent” means the attorney has a registration the register shows as due and not received. Under the rule a failure to register results in referral to the Appellate Division for disciplinary action; the register does not show whether a given attorney was referred.
- Delinquent unchanged
- Delinquent unchanged
- Delinquent the first file we hold
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; the Jul 3, 2026 and Aug 6, 2026 files for the history.
Others who list this employer on the register
471 other attorneys list Covington & Burling LLP or one of its other names as their employer on the register; 2 of them were admitted before 1969, and 162 of the 472 give an office in Washington, DC. The 5 whose admission is closest to 1969, earliest first:
| Attorney | Admitted | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Dennis Trooboff | 1968 | Currently registered |
| Wesley S. Williams | 1969 | Delinquent |
| Leonard Chazen | 1971 | Currently registered |
| Elliott Schulder | 1974 | Delinquent |
| Philip King Howard | 1975 | Due to re‑register |
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; employer spellings merged (methodology).
Where this record sits on the register
John W. Nields studied at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (the register spells it “UNIVERSITY OF PENN”). 85 of its 6,843 living graduates on the register were admitted in the 1960s, as John W. Nields was.
- Same law school
- 6,843living graduates; 88.7% registered (current or due), against 87.1% overall
- Office in Washington, DC
- 12,527living registrants (outside New York State)
Of the 12,527 living registrants with an office in Washington, DC, 63 were admitted before 1969 and 12,452 after.
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; living registrants only.
Questions this record leads to
- Everyone who lists Covington & Burling LLP472 on the register, 2 of the others admitted before 1969; 162 of the 472 give an office in Washington, DC.
- University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School graduates on the register6,843 living, 88.7% registered.
- New York-admitted attorneys in Washington, DC12,527 living registrants give an office there.
- Admitted in 19691,864 people admitted in 1969 are on the register, 686 of them through the First Department.
- Every registration that reads “Delinquent”15,500 on the register file of Sep 29, 2026, by decade of admission.
- How to complain about a New York lawyerThe grievance committee for each county, and what it can do.
How to confirm it officially
For a statement of John W. Nields’s standing, contact the Attorney Registration Unit of the NY Office of Court Administration (nycourts.gov/attorneys), or ask the Appellate Division, First Department, which admitted John W. Nields in 1969. The register places the office outside New York, so a complaint would go to that department’s grievance committee (22 NYCRR 1240.7(a)(2)).
This page reads the register file of Sep 29, 2026, and the court system’s own search can be newer; the register shows only the current value, so a suspension that ended before the files we hold, or a censure, leaves no trace here (Appellate Division decisions are published through the court system’s Law Reporting Bureau).