Complaints Against Lawyers And Judges - Warren County Bar Association (Page 3 of 5) in pdf

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Office of Disciplinary Counsel

250 Civic Center Drive, Suite 325

Columbus, OH 43215

614.461.0256

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Ohio State Bar Association (judges only)

1700 Lake Shore Drive

P.O. Box 16562

Columbus, OH 43216-6562

614.487.2050 or 800.282.6556

* For the address and telephone number of an approved local bar

association near you, please telephone the Supreme Court of Ohio Board

of Professional Conduct at (614) 387-9370.

Should I File More Than One Grievance?

A grievance should be filed with only one office. For grievances against

lawyers you may file with either the Office of Disciplinary Counsel or an

approved local bar association. For grievances against judges, you may file

with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, an approved local bar association,

or the Ohio State Bar Association.

What Can I Expect?

The investigating committee or Disciplinary Counsel will gather evidence

about your grievance and decide whether the lawyer or judge violated the

ethical rules. If the committee or Disciplinary Counsel finds enough

evidence of wrongdoing, it will file a formal complaint charging misconduct

against the lawyer or judge. The Board of Professional Conduct, which is an

independent Board appointed by the Supreme Court of Ohio, will then hold

a public hearing, and you may be required to testify. Based on the results

of this hearing, the Supreme Court of Ohio may take action against the

lawyer or judge to protect the public by limiting or prohibiting the lawyer

from practicing law or serving as a judge. If there is not enough evidence

of misconduct after the hearing is held, the charges will be dismissed by

the Board.

What Is Not Covered By The Grievance Procedure?

Disputes between you and your lawyer over fees are not ordinarily a basis

for an ethics grievance. Several bar associations have fee arbitration

services that can help resolve fee disputes. If you believe that you did not

receive a proper result in a civil or criminal case, the ethics grievance

process will not affect the outcome of your case. The lawyers investigating

your ethics grievance cannot represent you or appeal the outcome of any

case for you or recover money for you. The recovery of money damages or

losses is not the purpose of the ethics grievance procedure.

How Do I Recover Money, Damages, or Losses?

Filing an ethics grievance against a lawyer will not result in a recovery of

the money you lost. If you suffer money damages or out of pocket losses

as a result of your lawyer's mistakes or negligence, you may have a legal

malpractice claim.

Malpractice lawsuits require a client to sue the lawyer within one year. If

you wish to file a malpractice claim against a lawyer, you should

Complaints Against Lawyers And Judges - Warren County Bar Association Page 3

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