THE GRIEVANCE PROCESS - TexasBarCLE - Texas Continuing ...

THE GRIEVANCE PROCESS

ELLEN EIDELBACH PITLUK Ethics Attorney

State Bar of Texas P.O. Box 12487 Austin, Texas 78711-2487 Ethics Helpline (800) 532-3947

State Bar of Texas 5TH ANNUAL JOHN HUFFAKER AGRICULTURAL LAW COURSE

May 19-20, 2011 Lubbock

CHAPTER 13

ELLEN EIDELBACH PITLUK Ethics Attorney

State Bar of Texas P.O. Box 12487 Austin, Texas 78711-2487 Ethics Helpline (800) 532-3947

Ellen Eidelbach Pitluk is an ethics attorney with the State Bar of Texas in the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel. She advises attorneys on the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure and ethics opinions issued by the Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas. She has also served as an administrative attorney and classification attorney for the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel. Ms. Pitluk speaks frequently at continuing legal education events for TexasBar CLE and city and county bar associations. Her article, Is the Confidence Man Your Client? Con Artists Target Lawyers on the Internet, was published in 74 Tex. B.J. 80, 81 (2011).

Ms. Pitluk received her law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in December 2002. She became licensed in Texas in May 2003 and in the United States Western District of Texas in December 2003. Prior to joining the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel, Ms. Pitluk represented clients in private practice and volunteered as a mediator for the Bexar County Dispute Resolution Center and Hill Country Dispute Resolution Center for several years. She is a former member of the San Antonio Bar Association and San Antonio Bar Foundation. Ms. Pitluk is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Travis County Women Lawyers Association, College of the State Bar of Texas and American Bar Association. She enjoys volunteering for community-related service organizations in Austin.

The Grievance Process

Chapter 13

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. TO GRIEVE OR NOT TO GRIEVE, THAT IS THE QUESTION ....................................................................... 1 A. No Standing or Privity Requirement ............................................................................................................... 1 B. Lawyer's Mandatory Duty to Report Misconduct or Fitness of Another Lawyer or Judge ............................ 1

II. ONE SIDE OF THE STORY ? THE CLASSIFICATION PROCESS .................................................................. 2 A. Classification ................................................................................................................................................... 2 B. Dismissal as an Inquiry ................................................................................................................................... 2 C. Upgrade to a Complaint .................................................................................................................................. 2

III. DEVELOPING THE STORY ? THE INVESTIGATION PROCESS ................................................................... 3 A. Confidentiality................................................................................................................................................. 3 B. Investigation .................................................................................................................................................... 3 C. Summary Disposition Panel ? A Second Chance for Dismissal ..................................................................... 3 D. Just Cause .......................................................................................................................................................... 3

IV. TELLING THE STORY ? ADJUDICATION........................................................................................................ 4 A. Procedural Rules.............................................................................................................................................. 4 B. Evidentiary Panel and a Proper Quorum ......................................................................................................... 4 C. Timeframes and Venue ................................................................................................................................... 4 D. Published Case Law ........................................................................................................................................ 5 E. Appeal of an Evidentiary Judgment ................................................................................................................ 5

V. ENDINGS ARE THE HARDEST PART ? SANCTIONS..................................................................................... 5 A. Sanctions ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 B. Grievance Referral Program............................................................................................................................ 7 C. Reinstatement .................................................................................................................................................. 7

VI. ANOTHER GENRE ? COMPULSORY DISCIPLINE ......................................................................................... 7 A. Intentional Crime............................................................................................................................................. 7 B. Pleas That Trigger Compulsory Discipline ..................................................................................................... 7

VII. APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................................................... 8

APPENDIX A: RESOURCES ....................................................................................................................................... 9

APPENDIX B: FLOWCHART FOR PROCESSING A GRIEVANCE ..................................................................... 11

APPENDIX C: REGIONAL OFFICES FOR THE OFFICE OF CHIEF DISCIPLINARY COUNSEL .................... 12

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