Law Firms and Associations Chapter 6. Public Service Chapter 7. Information About Legal Services Chapter 8. How to File a Complaint against an Attorney. What happens if my attorney is disciplined because they stole my money? You may also file your complaint online. No special form is necessary to file a complaint. However, a guide for what information to submit is below. Please be as complete as possible when submitting your complaint. Attach copies of pertinent documents, such as court documents, fee agreements, etc.
You may attach documents to the online complaint form ; however, it is recommended that large documents be sent via U. Guide to Filing a Complaint: Your contact information: Provide your name, address, email address and telephone number s.
Once your complaint has been filed, please be sure update the Office of Bar Counsel with any changes to this information. Attorney contact information: Provide the name of the attorney and law firm, including the city and state where services were rendered. Previous contacts with the State Bar of Nevada: Please list previous contacts with the state bar i. Accusing a lawyer of unethical conduct is a serious matter to the lawyer. Complaints should not be made lightly or to try to gain an advantage in dealings with a lawyer.
If you are considering filing a complaint, understand that the ARDC will send a copy of your complaint to the lawyer whether or not we decide to initiate an investigation. Additionally, we recommend that, whenever practical, you try to resolve problems that do not concern claims of unethical conduct directly with the lawyer.
For instance, if your lawyer is not responding to your calls or emails, consider sending the lawyer a formal letter by postal mail, requesting that the attorney contact you within a specified period of time. If you are not sure whether your concerns involve unethical conduct or whether you should file a complaint, you may call our office to discuss the matter with a member of our staff. A complaint to the ARDC will not result in financial compensation for losses resulting from poor representation or professional negligence by lawyers.
Such compensation may be available through a civil malpractice lawsuit. There are legal time limits for filing such lawsuits. If you are considering a lawsuit, you should seek legal advice immediately.
These situations ordinarily do not provide a basis for possible disciplinary charges. Where such fee disputes cannot be resolved informally between the lawyer and client, they may be resolved through court action. Additionally, some bar associations in Illinois provide voluntary fee arbitration services. The following is a list of some of the Illinois bar associations that provide fee arbitration services for lawyers and clients in their areas: Chicago Bar Association Committee on Professional Fees South Plymouth Court Chicago, IL www.
Randall Road, Suite St. Charles, IL www. West Princeton, IL If you are not in one of the above areas, you may wish to inquire with your local bar association regarding the availability of fee arbitration services. The Commission cannot bring criminal charges or impose criminal penalties against lawyers.
The ARDC generally does not investigate complaints of judicial misconduct by state court judges. For information about how to complain about a federal court judge, contact the office of the Clerk of the Court for the judicial circuit in which the judge sits. The ARDC will consider written complaints submitted in letter form. Any documents you send to the ARDC should be copies.
You should keep the originals. All documents you send to us, originals or copies, become the property of the ARDC and are subject to future destruction. If the Board feels it needs additional information, it may return the case to the Hearing Committee for further hearing, or conduct hearings of its own before making a final determination.
The types of discipline that may be imposed by the Board are:. If the Board determines that more severe discipline is required, it sends the matter, together with its recommendation, to the Supreme Judicial Court.
The types of discipline that only the Court can impose are:. Sometimes one of the above disciplines may be imposed with terms of probation. An attorney may also resign from the bar as a disciplinary sanction, but only with the Court's consent. Decisions of the Board and the Court with respect to public discipline are released for publication. Decisions and orders are available on this website.
Complaints are not dismissed lightly, nor are they prosecuted without justification. The protection of the public is paramount in considering every complaint filed. You may expect the following. If you wish to be referred to an attorney you might contact the Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service at www. The attorneys at the Office of the Bar Counsel do not and cannot represent you personally in the matters of which you complain.
Although an attorney may take corrective steps to avoid disciplinary action after he or she receives a complaint, the Board of Bar Overseers does not have power, for example, to compel an attorney to refund money or return files.
The Board has only the power to discipline attorneys or recommend discipline to the Court. You may have a civil claim against your attorney that can be pursued in the courts, a fee dispute that can be resolved by a bar association fee arbitration board, or a claim that will be considered by the Clients' Security Board. The Office of the Bar Counsel will tell you where to explore these other possibilities in appropriate cases. Until the attorney has been served with a petition for discipline instituting formal charges or has agreed to be formally disciplined, the Board and Bar Counsel may not publicly disclose that the complaint has been filed.
Certain narrow exceptions to this prohibition exist. You are immune from liability based on your complaint. BBO staff is working remotely, available by email and telephone. For online Registration, please visit the Attorney Registration tab. To file a complaint, please call Toggle SideBar Registration. Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.
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