This Just In: Board Issues Public Discipline Press Releases to Local Media

From the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Historically, the publication of news of the disbarment or suspension of attorneys has been low-key. Notices were issued to newspapers in the area where the lawyer practiced, for publication in the little-read legal notices section of the classified ads. Public discipline is also posted on the Board’s website. The Disciplinary Board believes that communities should know when discipline is imposed on one of their bar, so that practice is changing. The Disciplinary Board has begun issuing press releases of disbarment and suspension cases to media outlets in the market where the disciplined lawyer practices.

“As members of the Disciplinary Board, our duty is to assist the Supreme Court in protecting the public, preserving the integrity of the legal profession and safeguarding the reputation of our courts and the legal system,” said R. Burke McLemore, Jr., Chair of the Disciplinary Board. “By raising awareness of attorney discipline, we highlight our commitment to achieving these goals by demonstrating to the public how the profession is policing itself.”

The decision to focus additional efforts on raising public awareness of such actions arose in part from an incident earlier this year when a Dauphin County lawyer failed to notify his clients that he was forced to surrender his law license.