State | Count |
---|---|
New Jersey | 40137 |
New Mexico | 5612 |
New York | 185076 |
North Carolina | 24253 |
Α/Α | Country / State | Capita per lawyer |
---|---|---|
1 | New York U.S.A. | 115 |
2 | Liechtenstein | 176 |
3 | California U.S.A. | 236 |
4 | Italy | 246 |
The Disciplinary Review Board of the Supreme Court of New Jersey (Board or DRB) serves as the intermediate appellate level of the attorney disciplinary system in this state. The Supreme Court created the Board in 1978, and the Office of Disciplinary Review Board Counsel (Office of Board Counsel) in 1984.
The Board's decisions as to discipline are final in all cases, subject to the Supreme Court's confirming order, except those decisions recommending disbarment, which are review ed by the Supreme Court.
The Board's determinations of appeals from dismissals of ethics grievances and of appeals from Fee Arbitration Committee rulings are final, with no recourse to the Supreme Court.
The Website of the State of New Jersey Judiciary (Judiciary) may be translated for your convenience using software powered by Google Translate, a free online language translation service that can translate text and web pages into different languages. No automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace human translators.
To contact a district ethics committee secretary, call the Office of Attorney Ethics (OAE) toll- free at 1-800-406-8594.
The attorney disciplinary process is usually begun by the filing of an Attorney Grievance Form with the secretary of one of the Supreme Court's 18 district ethics committees.
You should know that the cost of the disciplinary system is financed totally by annual fees paid by lawyers. No taxpayers' monies are used. You should also be aware that members of the district ethics and fee arbitration systems, both attorneys and public members, are volunteers who donate their time and services to improve the profession.
Fee matters are not ordinarily a basis for discipline of a lawyer because they usually do not involve questions of unethical conduct. Furthermore, our court rules require that fee disputes first be pursued with district fee arbitration committees before they can be considered by ethics committees. Some fee disputes may be the result of an overcharge by the lawyer. Others, however, may result from your misunderstanding the basis for the fee and the various factors that go into the charge made by a lawyer for services. Today all lawyers are required to explain in writing to new clients the basis or rate of the fee to be charged. This must be done near the time the lawyer first accepts the case. Both you and your lawyer should discuss any questions regarding fees at the initial conference so that you both have a clear understanding of what will happen in your case and how much the case will cost. Despite discussions as to the basis or rate of fee, sometimes misunderstandings develop and a controversy arises. Fees, like any other disputes over the value of services, may be resolved by court actions.
As an alternative to court action, the Supreme Court of New Jersey has created 17 district fee arbitration committees, which will resolve, at the clients request, through binding arbitration, disputes concerning alleged unreasonable fees. If you desire assistance by a fee arbitration committee in determining whether the fee charged by your lawyer was reasonable, call the toll-free number 1-800-406-8594 and you will be connected to the district fee arbitration secretary to request fee arbitration forms.
If you desire assistance by a fee arbitration committee in determining whether the fee charged by your lawyer was reasonable, call the toll-free number 1-800-406-8594 and you will be connected to the district fee arbitration secretary to request fee arbitration forms. The Office of Attorney Ethics.
You may print an Attorney Grievance Form and send the original and two (2) copies to the district secretary where the attorney has an office for practice. You may also complete an Attorney Grievance Form electronically and e-mail it to the Office of Attorney Ethics at oae.mbx@njcourts.gov
Call the clerk of your state's Supreme Court. The clerk keeps the disciplinary records of the lawyers in the state. In some state's the state bar association maintains records. Check the FindLaw resource list for contact information in your state.
How to See If a Lawyer Has Been Disciplined. The disciplinary record of all practicing attorneys is public record. The state bar or law board in your state keeps complaints against attorneys private until the board decides to formally discipline the attorney. At that point, the board's decision and the disciplinary action become public record.
Give the cle rk the lawyer's name. Ask the clerk if the lawyer's license to practice is still valid. Ask if there are any formal pending disciplinary charges against the lawyer. Finally, ask if the lawyer has any disciplinary record. Any discipline the state board has taken will be public record and the clerk must disclose it to you.
Many states provide basic information about the attorney and details if he has faced an ethics complaint and the outcome, which may include discipline. In severe cases, an attorney can lose his license to practice law in the state. References.
The disciplinary record of all practicing attorneys is public record. The state bar or law board in your state keeps complaints against attorneys private until the board decides to formally discipline the attorney. At that point, the board's decision and the disciplinary action become public record. You can access these records by contacting the ...