 Attorney Grievance Commission |
Appointed by the Supreme Court of Maryland, the Commission oversees the attorney grievance process. Beyond general oversight, the Commission has the power to approve or disapprove the dismissal of a complaint or Statement of Charges, the termination of a complaint with or without a warning, a Conditional Diversion Agreement, a "commission reprimand," or the filing of a Petition for Disciplinary or Remedial Action. | |
 Bar Counsel |
Bar Counsel is Maryland's "top lawyer cop." Appointed by the Attorney Grievance Commission, Bar Counsel investigates allegations of professional misconduct, prosecutes disciplinary proceedings, reviews escrow account overdrafts, investigates the unauthorized practice of law and reviews petitions for reinstatement. Bar Counsel makes recommendations to the Commission on the disposition of grievances and, in appropriate cases, files Statements of Charges with the Commission to initiate peer reviews of lawyers' conduct, or files Petitions for Disciplinary or Remedial Action in the Supreme Court of Maryland. |
|
 Peer Review Panel |
If Bar Counsel files a Statement of Charges against an attorney, the attorney's conduct is subjected to "peer review." Consisting of at least three members, including a non-lawyer, these panels conduct informal meetings with Bar Counsel, the complainant and the attorney to determine whether the lawyer committed professional misconduct or is incapacitated. After this meeting, the panel recommends action to the Commission, which it may approve or disapprove. |
|
 Circuit Court Judge |
Unless the grievance is dismissed, or otherwise resolved by agreement of the parties, Bar Counsel institutes more formal proceedings by petitioning the Supreme Court of Maryland for disciplinary or remedial action. Although the Supreme Court of Maryland has "original jurisdiction" over disciplinary matters, it appoints a circuit court judge to manage the discovery process, hold an evidentiary hearing, render factual findings, and recommend that the Court take certain action. |
|
 Supreme Court |
The final authority over attorney disciplinary matters, the Supreme Court of Maryland reviews the legal conclusions and factual findings of the circuit court judge presiding over the evidentiary hearing, provides Bar Counsel and the responding attorney's counsel with an opportunity to take exception to the lower courts rulings and recommendations, and ultimately determines what sanction, if any, should be imposed. |