Lawyer Discipline in New York is ‘Seriously Deficient,’ Says NYU Professor

[hrmjustin]

JACOB GERSHMAN

New York’s system for disciplining lawyers is shrouded in secrecy and riddled with inconsistency, according to a new paper by a leading legal ethics expert.

“A study of all lawyer discipline cases in New York from mid-2008 through 2013… reveals that the system for lawyer discipline in New York is seriously deficient,” writes New York University law professor Stephen Gillers.

The professor — whose article appears in the most recent issue of the “New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy” — levels a number of criticisms at the Empire State’s sanction system. One glaring weakness, he says, is how difficult it is for a prospective client to look up a lawyer’s disciplinary history.

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2014/08/05/lawyer-discipline-in-new-york-is-seriously-deficient-says-nyu-professor/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=WSJ_NY_NY_Blog