The Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline, which investigates and prosecutes complaints of misconduct by Ohio’s attorneys and judges, substantially reduced its active pending caseload for the second consecutive year according to a 2013 annual report released today. The board also appointed a new Disciplinary Counsel for the first time in 16 years.

“The board continued to perform its adjudicatory functions in a prompt and efficient manner,” Richard A. Dove, secretary to the board, said in the report. “The number of pending cases was reduced by more than 25 percent for the second consecutive year, and the implementation of a new probable cause meeting schedule allowed for more prompt review and certification of new matters to the board.”

The report stated that 82 matters were filed with or referred to the board, while it completed 89 cases and placed another 13 cases on inactive status. The three-commissioner hearing panels conducted 56 hearings throughout the year, which the commissioners then reviewed and made recommendations to the Supreme Court. The board ended 2013 with 50 active cases pending on its docket.

According to the report the board also:

• Appointed Scott J. Drexel to the position of Disciplinary Counsel.
• Reduced internal operating expenses by 2.3 percent.
• Issued four formal advisory opinions. Staff also issued 38 letters offering written advice, responded to more than 2,000 phone and email inquiries, and served as presenters at 29 continuing education presentations.

The board conducts hearings and issues findings and recommendations to the Supreme Court on ethical misconduct complaints lodged against Ohio attorneys and judges. The board also engages in efforts to promote a greater understanding of and compliance with professional ethics standards.

The board is composed of 28 volunteer commissioners appointed by the Supreme Court. The commissioners include judges, lawyers, and members of the public. The board is funded entirely from biennial registration fees paid by Ohio judges and lawyers.

View the complete report.

PDF files may be viewed, printed, and searched using the free Acrobat^® Reader
Acrobat Reader is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.