Office of Disciplinary Counsel
The Disciplinary Board is also responsible for the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which is the investigative and prosecutorial division of the disciplinary system. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel is administered by Chief Disciplinary Counsel. Each of the four District Offices has a Counsel-in-Charge, as well as a full staff of disciplinary counsel, investigators, and support staff. In April 2003, there were 24 staff attorneys statewide, in addition to the Chief and Deputy Chief Disciplinary Counsel.
The primary mission of the Office of Disciplinary Counsel (“ODC”) is protection of the public.
The role of ODC is to investigate complaints against attorneys, and when appropriate, prosecute. ODC also provides educational programs for attorneys and consumers.
Disciplinary complaint review, investigations and prosecutions are carried out by Disciplinary Counsel in four district offices, located in Philadelphia, Trooper, Lemoyne and Pittsburgh. Each office oversees the conduct of lawyers whose main registration address is located in one of the counties assigned to that district office. Each office is supervised by a Disciplinary Counsel-in-Charge. Individual Disciplinary Counsel investigate and prosecute cases from initial complaint to final resolution. There is no separate litigation or appellate section. Non-lawyer staff includes investigators, auditors, law clerks and secretarial and administrative staff.