Lawyers face ethical issues all the time, from conflicts of interest to issues with their IOLTA accounts to concerns with how to deal with clients, and more.
If you are considering representing someone through a disciplinary proceeding, this course will provide a firm foundation for getting started.
The early and confidential “informal” stage of a disciplinary investigation, from submission of a complaint to the decision to file charges or enter into a consent petition, is both little understood and critical to whether and how harshly a respondent-attorney will be sanctioned.
Many respondents cannot afford representation at this stage and make mistakes that turn a dismissal into discipline or private discipline into a suspension or worse.
Along with PBA, the Disciplinary Board is establishing a program to train volunteer lawyers to provide pro bono advice, consultation, and representation to financially eligible respondents in this informal stage.
This program provides education and training on representing respondents in this early stage for attorneys interested in volunteering in this program as well as for all attorneys interested in learning about this crucial and largely misunderstood phase of the disciplinary process.
Topics include:
- Overview of the program: Which respondents are eligible; means testing, inquiries about insurance; and scope of the representation and representation agreements.
- The Complaint intake process
- Respondent’s counsel first meetings with the Respondent
- Investigation in the Districts leading to the DB-7 (or dismissal)
- Answering the DB-7
- Consent petitions
- The value of a case
All attendees will receive the course book as a digital download.
Co-sponsored with the PBA Legal Ethics & Professional Responsibility Committee
Recorded in January 2024.