The Disciplinary Board has sent its Annual Report for 2021 to the Supreme Court.
The Annual Report always provides an illuminating sketch of the current composition of the Pennsylvania bar. 75,680 attorneys registered, of whom 48,385 (63.9%) were resident attorneys on active status, 16,625 (22.0%) were non-resident active, and 9,998 (13.2%) were inactive. 87.5% of attorneys completed their registration by the July 1 deadline, and 96.2% finished the process in time to avoid a late penalty.
Of those who chose to answer the demographic questions, 61.2% were male and 38.7% female. By age, 23.0% are under 40, 45.4% are in their 40s and 50s, and 31.6% are over 60.
Of those who serve Pennsylvania clients, 51.3% have a succession plan in place, and 48.6% do not.
Since 2018, emeritus status has been an option for retired attorneys who desire to perform pro bono work with legal aid organizations. At year-end, 26 attorneys have elected emeritus status, an increase from 23 at the start of the year.
The Disciplinary Board conducted three of its four quarterly meetings remotely by WebEx. The Board adjudicated 27 matters during the year (19 discipline and 8 reinstatement cases). The Board filed recommendations to the Supreme Court in 25 matters (17 discipline and 8 reinstatement). The Court issued orders in 20 adjudicated matters, adopting the Board’s recommendation in 19 of those. Hearing committee members reviewed 83 disciplinary referrals, conducted 21 prehearing conferences, and held 15 disciplinary and 17 reinstatement hearings. They filed 25 reports recommending action.
Disciplinary Counsel opened 3,818 new complaints in 2021 and resolved 3,836 matters.
The total number of disciplinary actions concluded was 132, down by 10.8% from 148 in 2020. Disbarments were down by 40% from 2020 (from 32 to 18), but private discipline was up 26%, from 42 to 53.
The report details numerous educational presentations, panels, and conferences the Board, staff, and hearing committee members performed. The report also details updates to the Board’s website that include:
- a new online filing module allowing staff and respondent- and petitioner-attorneys to electronically file pleadings directly with the Board;
- a Pro Bono page, seeking to connect Pennsylvania attorneys with available resources to perform pro bono service and to advance equal access to justice for all Pennsylvanians; and
- the Case Research Collection, which makes available public case information and documents from 2016 through the present. Users can browse the collection or use search criteria to narrow findings.