Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel > For Lawyers      

Attorneys may file complaints with the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel against other attorneys. In addition, Rule 4-8.3 may require that an attorney report professional misconduct to the OCDC under certain circumstances. Complaints/reports must be submitted in writing to the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel by use of a downloaded complaint form or by letter. You may download and print the blank form or you may complete the “Fill-in Form” here and then print it. At this time, the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel is not able to accept complaints/reports by e-mail.

Complaints/reports should provide the full name and address of the attorney, the nature of the legal matter, the caption of any court case involved in the representation, the name of the court where any case is pending, a detailed, factual statement of what occurred including specific complaint(s) about the attorney’s conduct, and the complainant’s/reporter’s name, address and telephone number.

Complainants should provide as much relevant documentation as possible that will be helpful in understanding the complaint.  The following have been found to be helpful in evaluating complaints, although not everything listed will be available in all cases:

• A complete history of the complainant’s dealings with the lawyer, including dates and purposes for which the lawyer was retained;
• Copies of fee or retainer agreements;
• A listing of meetings or conferences with the lawyer, including dates where possible, that are relevant to the complaint;
• Copies of letters, faxes, emails and other correspondence that relate to the subject of the complaint;
• Copies of pleadings and legal documents that are relevant to the subject of the complaint;
• Copies of canceled checks or receipts for any payments made to the lawyer.