CONFERENCE REPORT: Attorney Discipline Moves Into Public Eye

Most attorney disciplinary complaints come from people with personal knowledge of the lawyer’s conduct, but a recent rise in filings based on public information has stirred up questions about standing, the public interest, confidentiality, and regulators’ handling of duplicate filings.

Speaking May 30 at the American Bar Association’s 50th National Conference on Professional Responsibility, Renee Knake Jefferson, Professor of Law at the University of Houston, observed that nonprofit advocacy groups such as Fix the Court and The 65 Project have played a role in the increased number of public complaints. She said that approximately 30 US jurisdictions allow these kinds ...