Celebrity Divorce Lawyer Back Again

Tuesday, May 16th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) â€” Celebrity divorce lawyer Marvin Mitchelson, who defined ``palimony'' in a landmark 1976 case, can practice law again after a seven-year suspension for tax evasion.

Mitchelson ``is neither a danger to the public nor the legal profession,'' State Bar Court Judge Eugene E. Brott ruled Monday.

The 72-year-old lawyer could be back in court representing clients by the end of the month, though prosecutors may appeal Brott's ruling.

Mitchelson, who was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison, has been working as a paralegal and consultant to other lawyers. He blamed his once high-profile life for clouding his judgment and leading to his downfall in 1993, when he was convicted of failing to report nearly $2 million in income on his federal tax returns.

``I've learned that humility is the first step through the door to having a life that is free from the kind of pain and suffering that I inflicted on myself by being so out there,'' he said.

Mitchelson's clients once included Joan Collins, Sonny Bono and Bianca Jagger.