Opinion ID: 2167657
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Untimely Request

Text: The main thrust of Donovan's argument on appeal is that her request for an extension of time to respond to the formal complaint was timely because the complaint was never properly served on her. She contends that service was not perfected because the Committee did not receive a return receipt, signed by her, evidencing delivery of the complaint. Because of this, Donovan argues that the Committee should have granted her additional time to respond and that Panel A erred in imposing sanctions without considering her response, which was tendered after Panel A made its findings. She further contends that Panel A erred in failing to hold a hearing on the matter. The Committee responds, to repeat in part, that it was not required to obtain a signed receipt and that a properly served complaint was delivered to the appellant on October 11, 2007. As such, her November 2, 2007 communication with the Committee, requesting an extension of the twenty-day time period to respond, was untimely. The Committee is correct on this point. Throughout her briefs, Donovan cites this court, almost interchangeably, to section 9 of the Procedures and Rule 4 of the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure (ARCP), as they pertain to service of process. Section 9 specifically provides that a complaint from the Committee may be served on a respondent attorney by mailing a copy of the formal complaint to attorney's address of record by certified, restricted delivery, return receipt mail. Id. § 9(A)(2)(a). Rule 4 of the ARCP, on the other hand, specifies the way in which service may be perfected in all civil cases. Rule 4 allows for service by any form of mail addressed to the person to be served with a return receipt requested and delivery restricted to the addressee or the agent of the addressee. Ark. R. Civ. P. 4(d)(8)(A)(i) (2008). Rule 4 goes on to specify that service perfected by mail shall not be the basis for the entry of a default or judgment by default unless the record contains a return receipt signed by the addressee or the agent of the addressee. Id. R. 4(d)(8)(A)(ii). As Donovan acknowledges, this court has consistently held that the practice of law is a privilege and not a right. See, e.g., Cambiano v. Neal, 342 Ark. 691, 701, 703, 35 S.W.3d 792, 799 (2000). As such, courts cannot summarily restrict a lawyer's ability to exercise the privilege. Ex parte Burton, 237 Ark. 441, 445, 373 S.W.2d 409, 411 (1963). Nevertheless, it is well settled that any protections to a law license are subject only to the very lowest review under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Constitution. Cambiano, 342 Ark. at 703, 35 S.W.3d at 799. This court has also held that the Committee is in the nature of an administrative agency and is not bound by the rules of the court. See Sexton v. Ark. Supreme Court Comm. on Prof'l Conduct, 299 Ark. 439, 446-47, 774 S.W.2d 114, 118 (1989). Thus, the Committee is not required to adhere strictly to the Rules of Evidence or the Rules of Procedure. Id. Unlike Rule 4 of the ARCP, section 9 of the Procedures does not require that the Committee produce a signed copy of the return receipt in order for it to act if the respondent attorney fails to respond within twenty days. In short, the language relied on by Donovan in Rule 4(d)(8)(A)(ii) of the ARCP is notably absent from section 9 of the Procedures. Since the Committee is not required to follow the ARCP, section 9 of the Procedures governs. Despite this, Donovan urges that Rule 4, while not controlling, is instructive to reach a fair result on appeal. We agree that there may be circumstances in attorney discipline cases where it is appropriate to look to the ARCP for guidance, but this is not one of those occasions. Rather, it is incumbent upon this court to apply the Procedures, which specifically apply to the Committee, where they differ from the ARCP, as in the instant case. We conclude that Panel A's finding that the Committee properly served Donovan with a formal complaint on October 11, 2007, is not clearly erroneous. Donovan did not respond, or request an extension of time, until November 2, 2007, which caused her response to be untimely according to the Procedures. Panel A, accordingly, acted within its authority in treating her failure to respond as an admission of the factual allegations in the complaint. We affirm the Committee on this point.