Office of Lawyer Regulation becomes effective Oct. 1, 2000
September 25, 2000
On Sept. 25, The Wisconsin Supreme Court announced that the new
Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR), which replaces the staff function of
the Board of Attorneys Professional Responsibility (BAPR), will become
effective Oct. 1, 2000.
Order
No. 99-03, filed Sept. 25, 2000, repeals and recreates SCR chapters
21and 22, dealing with the enforcement of attorneys professional
responsibility and procedures for the Board BAPR, to reflect the
revisions adopted by the court in May and incorporate the central intake
and alternative to discipline components adopted Sept. 12. The order
also amends SCR Chapter 12 to include provisions previously set forth in
Chapter 22 with respect to protection of attorneys' clients.
Jan. 1, 2001 is effective date for grievances to be made by
phone. Under the order, the OLR will begin accepting consumer
inquiries and complaints by telephone in January. With the exception of
incarcerated individuals, any person may make an inquiry or grievance to
the OLR concerning the conduct of an attorney by telephone.
The Sept. 25 order is the result of an effort begun in April 1999,
when the court began a comprehensive review of the structure of
Wisconsin's lawyer discipline system. The court created the OLR on May
22, 2000, after agreeing on a framework for lawyer discipline last
January. Sept. 12, 2000, the court unanimously approved a new system and
procedures for accepting and handling complaints against attorneys,
subject to the resolution of several issues.
The court will receive written comments on the rules until April
2001, and a public hearing will be held soon thereafter.
