2010 marked the 20th year of operation of
the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board
(LADB). The Supreme Court’s regulatory
agency noted the occasion as an opportunity
for reflection upon past efforts and ways to
improve going forward. In 2010 the LADB:
• Held a self-assessment session with a view
towards bringing meaningful improvement
to the system. In this spirit, the LADB
recommitted its focus to educating members
of the bar and encouraged the Office of Disciplinary
Counsel to explore innovative ways of resolving minor misconduct investigations in a more timely manner.
• Cosponsored continuing legal education
seminars with the Louisiana State Bar Association
focused primarily upon the ethical
dilemmas faced by solo practitioners and
small firms. The ongoing goal is to provide practical solutions to recurring issues which often result in the filing of disciplinary complaints.
• The Office of Disciplinary Counsel, the
prosecutorial arm of the LADB, received
3,210 complaints in 2010. Of those, 1,280
were opened for full disciplinary investigation;
1,569 were screened with a view
towards resolution without a full disciplinary
investigation, and the balance were referred
to the Louisiana State Bar Association Practice
Assistance Counsel. Practitioners who
fell in the latter category were those where
minor, unintentional misconduct was found.
For these practitioners, attendance at a daylong Ethics School has proven to be a successful remedy.
• The Office of Disciplinary Counsel added
a Certified Public Accountant to its staff to
assist in developing solutions to inadvertent
problems experienced by lawyers relating
to client trust accounts. Informal tutorials were developed for the practitioner whose
accounting and business practices are in
need of reform to fully comply with the Rules of Professional Conduct.
