Attorney Laurence “Kirk” Nurmi of Phoenix was disbarred from the State Bar of Arizona after publishing “Trapped with Ms. Arias: Part 1 of 3 From Getting the File to Being Ready for Trial,” a book detailing his experience with the Jodi Arias case.
On Nov. 21, 2016, the Presiding Disciplinary Judge accepted Nurmi’s request for disbarment, which was submitted the same day.
In early 2011, while representing Jodi Arias in the high profile case, Kirk Nurmi informed the court he would be resigning from the Public Defender’s Office and opening a private practice. Anticipating relief from further responsibilities, the Court denied his withdrawal request and held him to the ethical obligation of continuing her representation.
Arias was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison on April 13, 2015.
Nurmi began writing a book in mid-to-late 2015 without written/oral permission or authority to publish or disseminate any information related to his representation of Arias. The book in its entirety presents a negative view of Arias and her case.
The book with golden handcuffs on the cover included several confidential and private discussions between Nurmi, Arias, and her family. He recounted and explained details of the case, made disparaging remarks, and made several statements regarding the nature and content of witness interviews and inadmissible exhibits.
While participating in promotional radio interviews, Nurmi continued to disclose and explain certain facts and circumstances related to his representation of Arias, which he included in the book.
Laurence K. Nurmi’s disbarment was effective Nov. 21, 2016.