Michael Lane Rugen
On the New York attorney register since 1978 · office in San Francisco, CA
PlainAttorney’s reading of the public register file, not a court record.
- Registration No.
- 1365683
- Admitted
- 1978 · First Department
- Status
- Suspended, delinquent
- Next registration
- Jan 2026
Michael Lane Rugen is suspended, delinquent on the New York attorney register file of Sep 29, 2026. Admitted in 1978 in the First Department, with an office in San Francisco, CA; next registration due Jan 2026. The status is the same in all 3 files we hold.
What this status means on the register
On the register, “Suspended, delinquent” means the attorney is recorded as suspended from practice, with the registration also delinquent. The register does not give the reason or date of a suspension; the Appellate Division’s order does.
- Suspended, delinquent unchanged
- Suspended, delinquent unchanged
- Suspended, 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
799 other attorneys list Sidley Austin LLP or one of its other names as their employer on the register; 4 of them were admitted before 1978. The 5 whose admission is closest to 1978, earliest first:
| Attorney | Admitted | Status |
|---|---|---|
| David Charles Miller | 1976 | Delinquent |
| Eric D. Tashman | 1976 | Delinquent |
| Mitchell B. Kleinman | 1979 | Currently registered |
| Wendy M. Lazerson | 1979 | Currently registered |
| Alan M. Unger | 1979 | 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
Michael Lane Rugen studied at New York University School of Law (the register spells it “NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW”). 1,920 of its 23,248 living graduates on the register were admitted in the 1970s, as Michael Lane Rugen was.
- Same law school
- 23,248living graduates; 86.5% registered (current or due), against 87.1% overall
- Office in San Francisco, CA
- 2,474living registrants (outside New York State)
Of the 2,474 living registrants with an office in San Francisco, CA, 43 were admitted before 1978 and 2,426 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 Sidley Austin LLP800 on the register, 4 of the others admitted before 1978.
- New York University School of Law graduates on the register23,248 living, 86.5% registered.
- New York-admitted attorneys in San Francisco, CA2,474 living registrants give an office there.
- Admitted in 19783,834 people admitted in 1978 are on the register, 1,466 of them through the First Department.
- Every registration that reads “Suspended, delinquent”20,229 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 Michael Lane Rugen’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 Michael Lane Rugen in 1978. 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).