Office of Disciplinary Counsel

Lawyer Conduct, Discipline, and Disability

In Washington, the Supreme Court regulates the admission, licensing, and discipline of lawyers. The Supreme Court has delegated these functions to the Washington State Bar Association under the Rules for Enforcement of Lawyer Conduct (ELC).

The Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC) is the department of the Bar Association responsible for investigating and prosecuting grievances about the ethical conduct of Washington lawyers.  Ethical conduct is defined by the Supreme Court's Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC).    About 2,000 grievances are filed each year.  Many more members of the public are assisted informally over the telephone each year.  You can call (206) 727-8207 for more information.

The ODC consists of Disciplinary Counsel and their support staff, headed by a Chief Disciplinary Counsel, and organized into one intake unit and four investigation-prosecution units.  The intake unit initially receives all phone inquiries and written grievances.  It conducts the first screening or review of grievances, dismissing some and recommending further investigation for others.

After a confidential investigation of the grievance, Disciplinary Counsel may either dismiss the grievance or, if Disciplinary Counsel believes there is evidence of an ethical violation or lawyer's disability, refer it to a Review Committee of the Disciplinary Board.  A Review Committee may either dismiss the matter, order further investigation, or order a public hearing.  Less serious matters may be diverted to rehabilitative programs.  In some instances the grievance is dismissed with an advisory letter to warn about troublesome conduct.

Disciplinary hearings are public and are held before volunteer Hearing Officers with Disciplinary Counsel acting as prosecutor.  Appellate review is by the Disciplinary Board, which consists of 10 lawyers and four non-lawyers.  In some instances, there is further review by the Supreme Court.

Disciplinary actions that can be imposed include admonition, reprimand, suspension of up to three years, disbarment, probation, and restitution.  In all cases involving suspension or disbarment, review by the Disciplinary Board and Supreme Court is automatic.  In other cases, appeal to the Court is discretionary.  Information about the outcome of a formal disciplinary proceeding is available to the public.

Disciplinary Counsel may occasionally ask the Supreme Court to suspend a lawyer's license on an interim basis, pending the outcome of disciplinary proceedings.  Generally, these are granted where a lawyer's continued practice of law poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the public.

If you have a lawyer's name or bar number, you can access public disciplinary information about the lawyer on the Discipline Notices page. Be aware that discipline notices on the website may not reflect a lawyer's entire discipline history.  For a comprehensive background of public disciplinary action against a lawyer or for more information about the grievance process, contact the Consumer Affairs staff at (206) 727-8207.  You may also want to see the Ethics Page for the Public, which has links to the necessary forms and information that you may need before you make a complaint (grievance) against a lawyer.  We urge you to read more about Lawyer Discipline before you file a grievance so you understand what we can and cannot do for you.

If you are a lawyer seeking more detailed information on ethics, lawyer conduct, or your own conduct, see the Lawyers' Ethics page.

Contact information for the Office of Disciplinary Counsel: (206) 727-8207 / (206) 727-8325 Fax.