The most recent "State of the Attorney Disciplinary System Report," released on Aug. 14, should be read by all attorneys. It reveals that 179 attorneys received some form of discipline in the year 2012 (including 40 temporary suspensions and 139 orders of final discipline), eight more than in the prior year, and that both new investigations and formal complaints decreased.
Of course, in making statistical comparisons, it must be recognized that complaints are not all disposed of in the year of filing, but more cases satisfied both Office of Attorney Ethics investigative time goals and district ethics committee disposition time goals. The report further reflects the work of the fee arbitration committees that arbitrated or settled cases totaling almost $11.3 million in legal fees.
