Opinion ID: 1652195
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Confidentiality Requirement

Text: The confidentiality provision applicable to attorney disciplinary proceedings is set forth in Rule 9, section 25, which provides: All proceedings involving allegations of misconduct by or the disability of an attorney, including all information, records, minutes, files or other documents of the Board, Hearing Committee Members and Disciplinary Counsel are deemed to be non-public records. All such information, records, minutes, files or other documents shall be kept confidential and privileged until and unless: (a) a recommendation for the imposition of public discipline is filed with the Supreme Court by the Board; or (b) the respondent-attorney requests that the matter be public; or (c) the investigation is predicated upon conviction of the respondent-attorney for a crime; or (d) in matters involving alleged disability, this Court enters an order transferring the respondent-attorney to disability inactive status pursuant to Section 21. In those disciplinary proceedings in which judicial review is sought pursuant to Section 1.3, the records and hearing in the Circuit or Chancery Court and in this Court shall be public to the same extent as other cases. All participants in the proceeding shall conduct themselves so as to maintain the confidentiality of the proceeding. This provision shall not be construed to deny access to relevant information to authorized agencies investigating the qualifications of judicial candidates, or to other jurisdictions investigating qualifications for admission to practice; or to law enforcement agencies investigating qualifications for government employment; or to prevent the Board from reporting evidence of a crime by an attorney or other person to courts or law enforcement agencies; or to prevent the Board or Disciplinary Counsel from defending any action or proceeding now pending or hereafter brought against either of them. In addition, the Board shall transmit notice of all public discipline imposed by the Supreme Court on an attorney or the transfer to inactive status due to disability of an attorney to the National Discipline Data Bank maintained by the American Bar Association. (Emphasis added). Section 25 states that attorney disciplinary proceedings are confidential until and unless a recommendation for the imposition of public discipline is filed with the Supreme Court by the Board. Public discipline means public censure, suspension or disbarment. The respondent-attorney may request, however, that the matter be public at any stage of the proceeding. Also, if either party appeals the judgment of the Hearing Committee to the circuit or chancery court, the proceedings are public to the same extent as other cases. Other exceptions to the confidentiality requirement include matters involving criminal convictions of the respondent-attorney and matters involving alleged disability in which the Court has entered an order transferring the respondent-attorney to disability inactive status. For purposes of the confidentiality requirement of section 25, a proceeding generally commences upon the filing of a complaint with the Board. [2] See Doe v. Bd. of Prof'l Responsibility, 104 S.W.3d at 472. Thus, section 25 prohibits a complainant from disclosing that he or she filed a complaint with the Board against an attorney. Id. As we observed in Doe v. Bd. of Prof'l Responsibility , [t]he essence of the Rule mandates that until one of the enumerated events occur: (1) all proceedings surrounding allegations of misconduct by an attorney be `kept confidential,' and (2) `all participants in the proceeding shall conduct themselves so as to maintain the confidentiality of the proceeding.' Id. The confidentiality requirement therefore extends to all aspects of the disciplinary process: complaint, investigation, hearing and judgment. Unless one of the exceptions to confidentiality applies, section 25 prohibits a complainant from discussing any information related to the proceedings, including the Board's handling of the complaint.