Saying he failed to appreciate “the wrongfulness of his earlier misconduct,” the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has denied a 1985 law grad’s application to join the bar after he was previously found to have engaged in the unauthorized practice of law.

According to an earlier bar application in 2013, Lionel Porter graduated from law school in 1985 and began working as a pro bono advocate for the NAACP, according to the SJC’s April 22 order. It wasn’t until February 2014 that Porter passed the bar exam for the first time. He subsequently applied for admission to the Massachusetts Bar multiple times.