S790 - State Bar Review Committee Recommendations. (SL 2024-25)

Overview: S.L. 2024-25 makes various changes to Article 4 (North Carolina State Bar) in Chapter 84 (Attorneys-At-Law) of the North Carolina General Statutes, as recommended by the State Bar Review Committee, as follows:

• Requires the North Carolina State Bar (State Bar) to provide a copy of the complaint and supporting materials when issuing a letter of notice to a respondent attorney, when requested by the respondent attorney, and to provide certain other materials and information when recommending disciplinary action against the respondent attorney.
• Allows a respondent attorney to address the Grievance Committee and hear the Office of Counsel's presentation to the Grievance Committee.
• Allows the chair of the Grievance Committee to designate a person a vexatious complainant if the complainant has initiated grievances to the State Bar warranting dismissal in a manner and volume that amounts to an "abuse of the bar disciplinary process."
• Specifies who can file a grievance with the State Bar.

S.L. 2024-25 also requires the State Bar to adopt rules to implement an expungement process for certain disciplinary actions against respondent attorneys by the State Bar, as recommended by the State Bar Review Committee.

This act became effective August 1, 2024, and applies to grievances filed on or after that date.