File complaint about attorney

If Bar Counsel determines that your complaint falls into one of these categories, the complaint will be closed and notice will be sent to you.

You may request review of this decision by a member of the Board. However, there is no appeal from a decision by the Board not to bring disciplinary charges against an attorney. If an attorney is found to have committed a relatively minor infraction of the rules, the attorney may receive an admonition or be required to participate in a remedial program. If there appears to be serious misconduct, the matter is referred to a Hearing Committee appointed by the Board.

All the evidence is reviewed and considered. Each side is heard. The Hearing Committee then submits a written report to the Board with its recommendation as to discipline.

If Bar Counsel and the attorney reach agreement as to discipline, the recommendation may be submitted directly to the Board without referral to a Hearing Committee.

The Board may accept or modify the recommendation for discipline. 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. If, after investigation, the evidence does not establish a serious violation, the State Bar may issue a warning to the lawyer.

Neither a warning nor an ALD are considered discipline. If the State Bar decides to file charges against the lawyer, the case will go to the independent State Bar Court and will become public, with notice on the attorney's online profile. A judge can dismiss the case, issue a reproval, or recommend suspension or disbarment.

The California Supreme Court has the final say in all discipline cases involving suspension or disbarment. If you lost money or property because a lawyer did something dishonest, you may be able to recover it by filing an application with the Client Security Fund. But first you need to file a complaint against the attorney. Send your complaint to a salesperson or customer service representative.

Look for links that say "contact us," "customer service," "about us," or "privacy statement. If the seller doesn't resolve the issue, a government office or a consumer organization may be able to help:. File a complaint with your local consumer protection office or the state agency that regulates the company. The BBB tries to resolve your complaints against companies.

Some federal agencies accept complaints about companies, but may not resolve your problem. They use complaints to help them investigate fraud. Contact econsumer. Some problems with sellers are the result of frauds and scams.