D.C. Ethics Case Delays Threaten Bar and Public, Experts Say

Legal ethics attorney Trisha Rich was interviewed by Law360 about the attorney disciplinary process. The article focuses on delays in the District of Columbia, where complaints against attorneys accused of professional misconduct can take years to resolve. In one instance, 15 years passed between the time a complaint was filed and the time the D.C. Court of Appeals issued a ruling — long enough that a bookkeeper assisting and one of the lawyers representing the attorney in question both died before the case was finished. Ms. Rich commented on how a drawn-out process can affect an attorney's professional and personal life.

"It's an extremely stressful thing to have your license tied up in a disciplinary case," she said. "The longer that goes, the more stressful it is."

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