By Order dated March 10, 2022, the Supreme Court adopted an amendment to Rule 328 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Disciplinary Enforcement which addresses compensation of conservators appointed to protect the interests of clients of attorneys who become absent because they have abandoned their practice, disappeared, died, or been transferred to inactive status because of incapacity or disability.
The amendment eliminates language which required the conservator, appointed by the President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, to enter into a contract with the Chair of the Disciplinary Board. The amendment preserves provisions setting the conservator’s compensation at an hourly rate identical to that received by court-appointed counsel at the non-court appearance rate in the judicial district, allowing the conservator to apply for enhanced compensation only under extraordinary circumstances.
The amendment will be effective April 9, 2022.