As of Jan. 18, 2013, thanks to the addition of a rule by the Appellate Division, First Department, the Departmental Disciplinary Committee wields an additional tool for ensuring ethical practice in the First Department: Dismissal with Guidance.
The committee has long enjoyed a robust range of sanctions to seek when evidence reveals substantial attorney misconduct. That range includes nonpublic discipline in the form of private reprimands and letters of admonition. Of course, it also includes public censure, suspension, and disbarment by the court.
