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DC Bar Disciplinary Rules

(a) Immunity. Complaints submitted to the Board or Disciplinary Counsel shall be absolutely privileged, and no claim or action predicated thereon may be instituted or maintained. Members of the Board, its employees, members of Hearing Committees, Disciplinary Counsel, and all assistants and employees of Disciplinary Counsel, all persons engaged in counseling, evaluating or monitoring other attorneys pursuant to a Board or Court order or a diversion agreement, and all assistants or employees of persons engaged in such counseling, evaluating or monitoring shall be immune from disciplinary complaint under this rule and from civil suit for any conduct in the course of their official duties.
(b) Complaints against members of the disciplinary system. Disciplinary complaints against members of the Board involving activities other than those performed within the scope of their duties as Board members shall be submitted directly to the Court. Disciplinary complaints against Hearing Committee members, the Executive Attorney, or Disciplinary Counsel involving activities other than those performed within the scope of their duties as such shall be submitted directly to the Board.
(c) Effect of settlement, compromise, restitution, or refusal to proceed. Neither unwillingness nor neglect by the complainant to sign a disciplinary complaint or to prosecute a charge, nor settlement, compromise, or restitution, shall in itself justify abatement of an investigation into the conduct of an attorney.
(d) Related pending litigation. The processing of a disciplinary complaint shall not be deferred or abated because of substantial similarity to the material allegations of pending criminal, civil, or administrative proceedings, unless authorized by the Board or a Contact Member for good cause shown.
(e) Service. Service upon the attorney of a petition instituting formal disciplinary proceedings shall be made by personal service by any person authorized by the Chairperson of the Board, or by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, to the address shown in the most recent registration statement filed by the attorney pursuant to Rule II, or other last known address. Service by registered or certified mail shall not be effective unless Disciplinary Counsel files in the record of the proceeding proof of receipt of the petition by the attorney. Service of any other paper or notice required by this rule shall, unless otherwise provided in this rule, be made in accordance with Superior Court Civil Rule 5.
(f) Deleted by Court, effective March 1, 2016.
(g) Expenses. The salaries of Disciplinary Counsel and the Executive Attorney, their expenses, the expenses of the members of the Board and Hearing Committees, and other expenses incurred in the implementation or administration of this rule shall be paid out of the funds of the Bar.

Attorney Grievance defense attorney specializes in defending lawyers in disciplinary proceedings before the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission and the D.C. Bar's Board on Professional Responsibility involving professional misconduct, legal ethics, disbarment, suspensions of law licenses, petitions for disciplinary action, reprimands and sanctions for unethical conduct. If you receive a letter from Bar Counsel Lydia Lawless, Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton Fox, or from any attorney disciplinary board in Maryland or the District of Columbia, retain experienced attorneys with expertise in lawyer discipline and breach of ethics cases to avoid sanctions for professional misconduct. We help lawyers avoid disbarment, suspension, reprimands, censure and informal admonitions by drafting responses to client grievances and ethical complaints; representing lawyers in peer reviews, evidentiary hearings, and oral arguments before the BPR and the Court of Appeals; filing petitions to reinstate an attorney's license to practice law; conducting law firm ethical compliance audits; and drafting legal ethics opinions to protect lawyers from ethics charges. In many cases, disciplinary proceedings may be dismissed, dismissed with a warning, or result in a conditional diversion agreement with Bar Counsel to rectify misconduct. Lawyers may need help in managing their law firm attorney escrow IOLTA trust account and complying with attorney trust accounting rules to avoid charges of ethical misconduct. Do not represent yourself in responding to an attorney grievance, law firm client complaint, or other allegation of ethical impropriety. Attorney grievance defense counsel may help you comply with legal ethics rules, avoid sanctions like suspension or disbarment, and avoid future attorney grievances.

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By The Lawyer's Lawyers | Kramer & Connolly and Irwin R. Kramer who are responsible for the content of this informational website.   This website is designed for lawyers faced with attorney grievances. As cases do differ, past performance does not guarantee future results.
 

NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE ATTORNEY GRIEVANCE COMMISSION OF MARYLAND
OR THE BOARD ON PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE D.C. BAR