If a lawyer has been placed on probation, reprimanded, suspended or disbarred, that information is available from the Attorney Discipline Board. The Disciplined Attorneys Chart is available on this website. You may contact the Attorney Discipline Board for further information about a particular attorney.

Any person can complain about an attorney's conduct by filing a Request for Investigation with the Attorney Grievance Commission ("AGC").

You may obtain a Request for Investigation from the AGC by:

The Grievance Administrator will determine if the request for investigation raises ethical issues that it enforces. If so the AGC will conduct an investigation of the attorney's alleged misconduct. Further information about the investigation stage may be obtained by visiting the website of the Attorney Grievance Commission.

Upon conclusion of the investigation, the file will be submitted to the who will do one of the following:

• Close the file;
  
• Issue a cautionary letter to the attorney;
  
• Issue a confidential admonishment to the attorney;
• Enter into a contractual probation agreement with the attorney; or
  
• Authorize the Grievance Administrator to file a Formal Complaint with the Attorney Discipline Board.

No. If an attorney has been investigated by the Attorney Grievance Commission, but the Grievance Administrator did not file formal charges with the Attorney Discipline Board, the records of the Attorney Grievance Commission are confidential and not open to public inspection.

When the Grievance Administrator files a Formal Complaint with the Attorney Discipline Board, that complaint is assigned to a hearing panel composed of three volunteer attorneys for a public hearing. The hearing is usually conducted in the county in which the respondent attorney practices or resides. Hearings before a panel are conducted in public under applicable provisions of the Michigan Court Rules and the Michigan Rules of Evidence.

If the panel finds that the charges of misconduct have not been established by a preponderance of the evidence, the panel must dismiss the complaint. If charges of misconduct are established, the panel must conduct a second phase of the hearing to determine the appropriate discipline. A hearing panel can order a public reprimand, suspend the attorney's license to practice law in Michigan or revoke the attorney's license.

Yes. The Grievance Administrator, the respondent attorney or the complainant who filed a Request for Investigation may appeal a hearing panel's decision by filing a petition for review with the Attorney Discipline Board ("ADB"). The petition for review must be in writing, must state the grounds and reasons for the review and must be filed with the Board within 21 days after the hearing panel decision is mailed. Petitions for reivew are considered by the at a public hearing. The Board has the power to affirm, amend, reverse or nullify the order of a hearing panel. A decision of the Attorney Discipline Board may be appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court by filing an Application for Leave to Appeal.

Contact the Attorney Grievance Commission. If requested in writing by the attorney and the client, the Grievance Administrator may assign a fee dispute to a volunteer attorney for arbitration. There is no fee for this service. However, the parties must agree that they will be bound by the arbitrator's decision.

In general, the discipline process is not the appropriate forum for resolving civil claims, including claims of legal malpractice, against an attorney. Under some circumstances, such as cases involving an attorney's embezzlement of funds belonging to a client or a third person, a hearing panel, the Attorney Discipline Board or the Supreme Court may order restitution by the attorney in connection with an order of discipline.

A person who has suffered a monetary loss caused by the dishonest conduct of a lawyer may be eligible to file a claim with the State Bar of Michigan Client Protection Fund. For more information, please contact the State Bar at 306 Townsend Street, Lansing, MI 48933-2083; Phone: 517-346-6300 -0R- 1-800-968-1442; Fax: 517-482-6248.

Contact the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission, 3034 W. Grand Blvd., Suite 8-450, Detroit, MI 48202, Telephone: 313-875-5110.

Go to our Certificate of Disciplinary History Request Form.