Opinion ID: 2587986
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: attorney discipline procedures

Text: [¶ 7] Attorneys who practice law in Wyoming are subject to the exclusive disciplinary jurisdiction of the Wyoming Supreme Court and the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Wyoming State Bar pursuant to Section 1(a) of the Disciplinary Code for the Wyoming State Bar. Section 9 of the Disciplinary Code creates the Board and gives it the authority to conduct disciplinary hearings upon the filing of a formal charge, as defined in Section 3(p), and as limited by Section 12. If, after a hearing, the Board determines that misconduct has been proved by clear and convincing evidence, the Board may, pursuant to Section 9(iv), determine appropriate private discipline, or may recommend to the Court that public discipline be imposed. When a recommendation for public discipline has been made to this Court, Section 21(c) allows such briefing and argument as the Court deems appropriate, with the Court then determining and imposing discipline. Section 4(a)(ii) of the Disciplinary Code provides that temporary suspension of an attorney's right to practice law is a form of public discipline. [¶ 8] In Meyer v. Norman, 780 P.2d 283, 286-288 (Wyo.1989), we described the structural relationship between the Wyoming Supreme Court and the Wyoming State Bar, but we did not detail the procedure that this Court follows in reviewing and acting upon a disciplinary recommendation of the Board. Although the case arose under earlier versions of the Rules of Professional Conduct and the Disciplinary Code, the procedural holdings of Mendicino v. Whitchurch, 565 P.2d 460, 465-66, 475 (Wyo.1977) remain valid; that is, the Board is an arm of this Court whose purpose is to investigate allegations of professional misconduct and to report its findings and recommendations to the Court, which is the ultimate decision-maker in attorney disciplinary matters. Sections 21(c)(iii) and (iv) of the current Disciplinary Code make it clear that the Court's determination of appropriate discipline is its own, but that the determination must be made upon the evidence that was presented to the Board at the hearing. That process has been described as: All attorney discipline cases require a two step analysis. First, the Court must determine whether the record supports the findings and recommendations, then it must independently determine the sanctions warranted by the facts of the case. Idaho State Bar v. Souza, 142 Idaho 502, 129 P.3d 1251, 1254 (2006).