There is no reason to limit the scope to only disbarred attorneys. Being disbarred is an extremely harsh penalty. It may mean finding something else to do with your life after decades of practice. Suspensions are also serious. They can be for years, and almost invariably mean the end of one's career at a large firm. Imagine a programmer being told he wasn't allowed to program for two years. What does he go back to after two years of working retail?
Comparing to other professions, the threat of licensure revocation is less in law than in say medicine, but not by so much where I'd argue the threat is "very weak."
In 2011, 365 doctors had their licenses revoked or restricted in California, out of 131,696 (0.28%). That's about twice as high as for lawyers (0.16%). See: www.fsmb.org/pdf/2011-summary-of-board-actions.pdf
Also, note that courts typically impose monetary penalties on lawyers and clients to sanction conduct that doesn't warrant suspension or revocation of license. Such monetary penalties are not common for doctors, but are also a source of deterrence.
Comparing to other professions, the threat of licensure revocation is less in law than in say medicine, but not by so much where I'd argue the threat is "very weak."
In 2011, 365 doctors had their licenses revoked or restricted in California, out of 131,696 (0.28%). That's about twice as high as for lawyers (0.16%). See: www.fsmb.org/pdf/2011-summary-of-board-actions.pdf
Also, note that courts typically impose monetary penalties on lawyers and clients to sanction conduct that doesn't warrant suspension or revocation of license. Such monetary penalties are not common for doctors, but are also a source of deterrence.