North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 27 - STATE BAR › Chapter 01 - RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE BAR › Subchapter A - ORGANIZATION OF THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE BAR › Section .0700 - STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE COUNCIL › Section 01A .0701 - STANDING COMMITTEES AND BOARDS

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) Standing
				  Committees. Promptly after his or her election, the president shall appoint
				  members to the standing committees identified below to serve for one year
				  beginning January 1 of the year succeeding his or her election. Members of the
				  committees need not be councilors, except to the extent expressly required by
				  these rules, and may include non-lawyers. Unless otherwise directed by
				  resolution of the council, all members of a standing committee, whether
				  councilors or non-councilors, shall be entitled to vote as members of the
				  standing committee or any subcommittee or panel thereof.
(1) Executive Committee. It shall be the duty
				  of the Executive Committee to receive reports and recommendations from standing
				  committees, boards, and special committees; to nominate individuals for
				  appointments made by the council; to make long range plans for the State Bar;
				  and to perform such other duties and consider such other matters as the council
				  or the president may designate.
(2)
				  Ethics Committee. It shall be the duty of the Ethics Committee to study the
				  rules of professional responsibility currently in effect; to make
				  recommendations to the council for such amendments to the rules as the
				  committee deems necessary or appropriate; to study and respond to questions
				  that arise concerning the meaning and application of the rules of professional
				  conduct; to issue opinions in response to questions of legal ethics in
				  accordance with the provisions of Section .0100 of Subchapter 1D of these
				  rules; to consider issues concerning the regulation of lawyers' trust accounts;
				  and to perform such other duties and consider such other matters as the council
				  or the president may designate.
(3)
				  Grievance Committee. It shall be the duty of the Grievance Committee to
				  exercise the disciplinary and disability functions and responsibilities set
				  forth in Section .0100 of Subchapter 1B of these rules and to make
				  recommendations to the council for such amendments to that section as the
				  committee deems necessary or appropriate. The Grievance Committee shall sit in
				  subcommittees as assigned by the president. Each subcommittee shall have at
				  least ten members. Two members of each subcommittee shall be nonlawyers, one
				  member may be a lawyer who is not a member of the council, and the remaining
				  members of each subcommittee shall be councilors of the North Carolina State
				  Bar. A quorum of a subcommittee shall be five members serving at a particular
				  time. One subcommittee shall oversee the Attorney Client Assistance Program. It
				  shall be the duty of the Attorney Client Assistance subcommittee to develop and
				  oversee policies and programs to help clients and lawyers resolve difficulties
				  or disputes, including fee disputes, using means other than the formal
				  grievance or civil litigation processes; and to perform such other duties and
				  consider such other matters as the council or the president may designate. Each
				  subcommittee shall exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the
				  Grievance Committee with respect to the grievances, fee disputes, and other
				  matters referred to it by the chairperson of the Grievance Committee. Each
				  subcommittee member shall be furnished a brief description of all matters
				  referred to other subcommittees (and such other available information as he or
				  she may request) and be given a reasonable opportunity to provide comments to
				  such other subcommittees. Each subcommittee's decision respecting the
				  grievances, fee disputes, and other matters assigned to it will be deemed final
				  action of the Grievance Committee, unless the full committee at its next
				  meeting, by a majority vote of those present, elects to review a subcommittee
				  decision and upon further consideration decides to reverse or modify that
				  decision. There will be no other right of appeal to the committee as a whole or
				  to another subcommittee. The president shall designate a vice-chairperson to
				  preside over, and oversee the functions of each subcommittee. The
				  vice-chairpersons shall have such other powers as may be delegated to them by
				  the chairperson of the Grievance Committee. The Grievance Committee shall
				  perform such other duties and consider such other matters as the council or the
				  president may designate.
(4)
				  Authorized Practice Committee. It shall be the duty of the Authorized Practice
				  Committee to respond to or investigate inquiries and complaints about conduct
				  that may constitute the unauthorized practice of law in accordance with the
				  provisions of Section .0200 of Subchapter 1D of these rules; to study and
				  advise the council on the appropriate and lawful use and regulation of legal
				  assistants, paralegals and other lay persons in connection with the provision
				  of law-related services; to study and advise the council on the regulation of
				  professional organizations; and to perform such other duties and consider such
				  other matters as the council or the president may designate.
(5) Administrative Committee. It shall be the
				  duty of the Administrative Committee to study and make recommendations on
				  policies concerning the administration of the State Bar, including the
				  administration of the State Bar's facilities, automation, personnel, retirement
				  plan, and district bars; to oversee the membership functions of the State Bar,
				  including the collection of dues, the suspension of members for failure to pay
				  dues and other fees, and the transfer of members to active or inactive status
				  in accordance with the provisions of Sections .0900 and .1000 of Subchapter 1D
				  of these rules; and to perform such other duties and consider such other
				  matters as the council or the president may designate.
(6) Legal Assistance for Military Personnel
				  (LAMP) Committee. It shall be the duty of the LAMP Committee to serve as
				  liaison for lawyers in the military service in this State; to improve legal
				  services to military personnel and dependents stationed in this State; and to
				  perform such other duties and consider such other matters as the council or the
				  president may designate.
(7)
				  Finance and Audit Committee. It shall be the duty of the Finance and Audit
				  Committee to superintend annually the preparation of the State Bar's
				  operational budget and to make recommendations to the Executive Committee
				  concerning that budget and the budgets for the boards listed in subsection (b)
				  below; to make recommendations to the Executive Committee regarding the State
				  Bar's financial policies; to examine the financial records of the State Bar at
				  each regular meeting of the council and report its findings to the Executive
				  Committee; to recommend to the Executive Committee annually the retention of an
				  independent auditor; to direct the work of the independent auditor in
				  accordance with the policies and procedures adopted by the council and the
				  state auditor; and to review the results of the annual audit and make
				  recommendations concerning the audit to the Executive Committee.
(8) Communications Committee. It shall be the
				  duty of the Communications Committee to develop and coordinate official North
				  Carolina State Bar communications to its membership and to third parties,
				  including the use of printed publications, emerging technology, and social
				  media.