Occupational License and Discipline Defense: Attorneys and Applicants for Admission to the Bar

North Carolina Professional License Law Firm Comes to Lawyer License Defense

North Carolina State Bar Grievance Committee

If you have received notice of a grievance from the State Bar or a Local Judicial District Bar, you must respond within 15 days. A State Bar staff attorney has already reviewed the grievance and determined that, if true, the allegations state a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Failing to respond will result in a referral to the Disciplinary Hearing Commission. A full and accurate response with documentation is critical to successfully defending against a grievance. We recommend contacting us immediately upon receipt of a grievance. We can help you make the necessary judgment calls and objectively respond to the grievance. We can respond to follow up requests for more information or documentation.

If the grievance is not dismissed upon a finding of no probable cause, the grievance will be considered at a quarterly meeting of the Grievance Comittee. Possible outcomes are dismissal and/or a letter of caution or warning. The Committee can also impose discipline in the form of admonition, reprimand, or censure. If the Committee believes suspension or disbarment may be warranted, the matter is referred to the Disciplinary Hearing Commission.

Disciplinary Hearing Commission

The DHC sits in panels of three and conducts formal evidentiary hearings. The panel is both judge and jury. State Bar counsel acts as prosecutor. You need the experienced litigators at Law Offices of Robert Crawford if you find yourself facing suspension or disbarment at the DHC. Don’t lose your chosen livelihood because you think you can defend yourself.

Board of Law Examiners of the State of North Carolina

The Board of Law Examiners is a entity separate from the State Bar. It was created for the purpose of examining applicants and providing rules and regulations for admission to the bar. Applicants for admission to the bar by examination or comity have the burden of proving their good moral character and fitness to practice law. Applicants for admission by comity are required to prove that they are licensed in a jurisdiction having comity with North Carolina, and that while so licensed therein, have been for at least four out of the last six years immediately preceding the application, “actively and substantially engaged in the full-time practice of law.” All applicants are required to appear before a bar candidate committee. All comity applicants are required to appear before a panel of the Board. Any prior conduct that reflects adversely upon one’s character or fitness ill be thoroughly investigated by the Board. Typical examples are criminal convictions or unlawful conduct, academic misconduct, termination of employment, a material omission on your law school application, credit problems, or evidence of alcohol or substance abuse or dependency. We can help you address any of these issues and appear with you at an informal hearing before a panel of the Board. The panel has the authority to approve your application, deny your application or refer you to the full Board for a de novo hearing. A formal hearing before the full Board is an adversarial proceeding. We have the necessary experience to navigate the unique procedures of the Board of Law Examiners and help you get the license you have worked so hard to obtain.

Contact the Lawyer License Defense Attorneys at Law Offices of Robert Crawford Today

If you are an attorney who has been received a grievance or who has been referred to the Disciplinary Hearing Commission, your law license at risk. If the Board of Law Examiners is questioning your moral character or fitness to practice law, your licensure may be delayed for at least three years. You need the help of the attorneys at Law Offices of Robert Crawford. We can create a strategy that will help achieve the best possible result in your case. Contact us today at our office in Raleigh, NC to begin the strategy to save your legal career.