Grievance Information Helpline (1-800-932-1900)
The State Bar Client
Attorney Assistance Program (CAAP) answers a toll-free telephone line
dedicated to the disciplinary system. This telephone line is designed to
help the public with questions they have about filing a grievance.
Disciplinary System Questionnaire
After a grievance has been concluded, a questionnaire is provided to the
Complainant and Respondent. The Chief Disciplinary Counsel's Office utilizes
the questionnaire and the comments provided by participants in the grievance
system to obtain and evaluate participants' view of
the fairness of the grievance system, the District Grievance Committees,
and the Chief Disciplinary Counsel staff.
The Ethics Helpline
As a service to the members of the Bar, the Chief Disciplinary
Counsel's Office maintains a toll-free Attorney Ethics Helpline. The Helpline
number is (800)532-3947and is operated from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
The Helpline is designed to assist Texas attorneys who have questions about
their ethical obligations to clients, courts, and the public under the Texas
Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct. The information disseminated
is designed to give attorneys guidance on how to access to rules, ethical
opinions and case law so an attorney can make an informed ethical decision.
Pursuant to the policy of the Board of Directors of the State Bar, the Chief
Disciplinary Counsel and his staff are not permitted to issue written opinions
or legal advice.
The Attorney Ethics Helpline does not provide legal assistance to the
general public and cannot address questions concerning pending grievances.
District Grievance Committees
The District Grievance Committees are composed of volunteer lawyers
and members of the public who serve in 49 districts across the
state. Each committee is composed of 2/3 lawyer members and 1/3
public members. The committees act through panels for Summary Disposition
in dockets and evidentiary hearings. The grievance committees' authority
and duties are set out in Part II of the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure (pdf).
Each State Bar district has one or more grievance committees. The members
of each committee are nominated to serve by the local State Bar Board of
Directors members and are appointed to the committee by the State Bar
President.
The Commission for Lawyer Discipline
The Commission for Lawyer Discipline is a permanent committee
of the State Bar of Texas and is composed of six attorney members appointed
by the State Bar President and six public, non-attorney members appointed
by the Supreme Court of Texas.
The Commission for Lawyer Discipline serves a vital role in the success
of the disciplinary system, as the client-body of the Chief Disciplinary
Counsel in attorney complaints not dismissed by a Summary Disposition
Panel and in all original proceedings before the Board of Disciplinary
Appeals. The Commission also has oversight of the disciplinary system.
The Commission meets monthly to make decisions concerning individual
attorney discipline cases within its purview. The Commission's powers and
duties are set out in Part IV of the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure (pdf).
Board of Disciplinary Appeals
The Board of Disciplinary Appeals is a body of twelve lawyers with both
appellate and original jurisdiction in grievance matters as provided by Part VII of the Rules of Disciplinary Procedure (pdf).
The Board has final appellate jurisdiction in classification decisions and
acts as an intermediate appellate court for evidentiary panel cases. The
Board has original jurisdiction in compulsory and reciprocal discipline
cases, as well as motions to revoke probated suspensions contained in grievance
committee judgments.
Discipline and Client Attorney Assistance Program Subcommittee
The DCAAP subcommittee of the Board of Directors serves as the
primary liaison on behalf of the Board to the Commission for Lawyer Discipline
and the Chief Disciplinary Counsel.
|
