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f/k/a archives . . . real opinions & real haiku

March 13, 2005

shaded lawyers need sunshine

Filed under: pre-06-2006 — David Giacalone @ 2:20 pm

March 13 to 19 has been dubbed Sunshine Week, a national event focused on the 

importance of open government and freedom of information laws.   Today we’re

taking part in the related activities of Blogshine Sunday, by reminding our readers that,

in most states, the lawyer discipline system falls significantly short of the basic goals

of an open process with easy access to information. [via Bob Ambrogi’s Media Law]

 

sunshineWeek  Problems exist in three important areas:


tiny check Allowing the public to readily locate information on the discipline

records of individual attorneys.

 

tiny check Allowing the public to attend disciplinary hearings.

 

tiny check The continued use of “gag rules”

 

– click here for the rest of this post, which concludes –


As ethicalEsq stated in 2003:  “The majority of states are still shamelessly secretive about lawyer

discipline.  There are no good excuses.  Any state grievance committee or bar association that wants

to fulfill its Openness obligation now has plenty of models to choose from, and learn from.  Okay, bar

leaders, judges, and politicians, let’s get going.   Curious minds want to know — and have the right to

know.” (for more, see our post, “They’re Indisposed to Disclose Lawyer Discipline, Sept. 9, 2003.”)

 

 


chilly, chilly
the sun deigns to rise
behind me


 





in the dewy field
one sleeve cold…
morning sun


 








travelers set out
the sun rises…
a world of morning dew


 

umbrella vert    ISSA, translated by David G. Lanoue

4 Comments

  1. David:

    What do you think about the Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission site?

    http://www.iardc.org/index.html

    I think it is pretty good, but I would like to know your opinion.

    Comment by JR — March 13, 2005 @ 6:12 pm

  2. David:

    What do you think about the Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission site?

    http://www.iardc.org/index.html

    I think it is pretty good, but I would like to know your opinion.

    Comment by JR — March 13, 2005 @ 6:12 pm

  3. Hi, JR.   ethicalEsq mentioned The [Illinois] Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission in our Sept. 2003 post.  It appears to be an excellent site, offering web access to Disciplinary Decisions (searchable, updated daily), and New Filings, as well as a Lawyer Search function, that allows consumers to find out if an attorney has been disciplined, is a member in good standing, and has reported having malpractice insurance.   Visitors are also told:

    What Information Can the ARDC Give Me About an Attorney?
     
    You may call or come in person to either our Chicago or Springfield offices and we can give you an attorney’s registration information, such as name, law firm, business address and telephone number, and the date the attorney was first licensed to practice in Illinois. We can tell you if the attorney is currently registered and authorized to practice law (“good standing”), if the attorney has been disciplined in the past and if there are any pending formal complaints. The fact that a request for an investigation was filed, and whether an investigation is closed or pending, is confidential and will not be disclosed.

    Clearly, this is a site that could be an a good model for other States.
     
    Trying out the Lawyer Serach, I was surprised to discover that there was no Evan Schaeffer listed as a member of the Illinois Bar.  However, by searching for “Schaeffer,” I discovered that the multi-weblog-editor and lawyer is actually named “T. Evan Schaeffer,” a fact barely acknowledged at his law firm website.  How bad could that T-word be, if Lawyer Schaeffer prefers “Evan”?

    Comment by David Giacalone — March 13, 2005 @ 7:33 pm

  4. Hi, JR.   ethicalEsq mentioned The [Illinois] Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission in our Sept. 2003 post.  It appears to be an excellent site, offering web access to Disciplinary Decisions (searchable, updated daily), and New Filings, as well as a Lawyer Search function, that allows consumers to find out if an attorney has been disciplined, is a member in good standing, and has reported having malpractice insurance.   Visitors are also told:

    What Information Can the ARDC Give Me About an Attorney?
     
    You may call or come in person to either our Chicago or Springfield offices and we can give you an attorney’s registration information, such as name, law firm, business address and telephone number, and the date the attorney was first licensed to practice in Illinois. We can tell you if the attorney is currently registered and authorized to practice law (“good standing”), if the attorney has been disciplined in the past and if there are any pending formal complaints. The fact that a request for an investigation was filed, and whether an investigation is closed or pending, is confidential and will not be disclosed.

    Clearly, this is a site that could be an a good model for other States.
     
    Trying out the Lawyer Serach, I was surprised to discover that there was no Evan Schaeffer listed as a member of the Illinois Bar.  However, by searching for “Schaeffer,” I discovered that the multi-weblog-editor and lawyer is actually named “T. Evan Schaeffer,” a fact barely acknowledged at his law firm website.  How bad could that T-word be, if Lawyer Schaeffer prefers “Evan”?

    Comment by David Giacalone — March 13, 2005 @ 7:33 pm

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