Sanctions Against Illinois Lawyers Jump 32 Percent Last Year
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
The Illinois Supreme Court disciplined 151 lawyers last year, a 32 percent increase from the 102 lawyers who faced some sort of action from the high court in 2012.
Despite the sharp jump, 2012 was an anomaly due to the Great Recession and a decrease in grievances in prior years, said Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission Deputy Administrator James J. Grogan.
Lawyer regulators around the country saw fewer disciplinary complaints filed against lawyers during 2009 and 2010 — the peak years of the recession, Grogan said.
“There were less attorney-client transactions in those years,” he said. “People could not afford many times to hire a divorce counsel and many couldn’t afford to hire a real estate lawyer because their houses’ mortgages were underwater.”
Of the 151 lawyers disciplined last year, 27 were sanctioned on a reciprocal basis. That means the lawyers practiced in and were disciplined in other states, but were also licensed in Illinois. In 2012, the total was 17 lawyers.
The hike in reciprocal disciplines here last year reflects a national phenomenon, said William J. Martin, an Oak Park attorney who represents lawyers before the ARDC.
“Other states are beginning to take discipline as seriously as Illinois has,” he said.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
The Illinois Supreme Court disciplined 151 lawyers last year, a 32 percent increase from the 102 lawyers who faced some sort of action from the high court in 2012.
Despite the sharp jump, 2012 was an anomaly due to the Great Recession and a decrease in grievances in prior years, said Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission Deputy Administrator James J. Grogan.
Lawyer regulators around the country saw fewer disciplinary complaints filed against lawyers during 2009 and 2010 — the peak years of the recession, Grogan said.
“There were less attorney-client transactions in those years,” he said. “People could not afford many times to hire a divorce counsel and many couldn’t afford to hire a real estate lawyer because their houses’ mortgages were underwater.”
Of the 151 lawyers disciplined last year, 27 were sanctioned on a reciprocal basis. That means the lawyers practiced in and were disciplined in other states, but were also licensed in Illinois. In 2012, the total was 17 lawyers.
The hike in reciprocal disciplines here last year reflects a national phenomenon, said William J. Martin, an Oak Park attorney who represents lawyers before the ARDC.
“Other states are beginning to take discipline as seriously as Illinois has,” he said.
Read more in our daily News Update...