Rule 205. The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
(a) The Supreme Court shall appoint a board to be known as ‘‘The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’’ which shall be composed of ten members of the Bar of this Commonwealth and two non-lawyer electors. One of the members shall be designated by the Court as Chair and another as Vice-Chair.
(b) The regular terms of members of the Board shall be for six years, unless otherwise specified by order of the Court, and no member shall serve for more than one term. Except when acting under Paragraph (c)(5), (7), (8), (9) and (16) of this rule, the Board shall act only with the concurrence of not less than the lesser of:
(i) seven members, or
(ii) a majority of the members in office who are not disqualified from participating in the matter or proceeding.
Seven members shall constitute a quorum. The presence of members who are disqualified from participating in one or more matters to be considered at a meeting shall nonetheless be counted for purposes of determining the existence of a quorum for the consideration of all matters on the agenda.
(c) The Board shall have the power and duty:
(1) To consider the conduct of any person subject to these rules after investigation by Disciplinary Counsel pursuant to Enforcement Rule 207(b)(1). Complaints filed directly with the Board shall be forwarded to Chief Disciplinary Counsel for assignment to a district office.
Official Note
In order to avoid the commingling of prosecutorial and adjudicative functions, which would be a violation of due process, see Lyness v. Com. of Pa., State Board of Medicine, 529 Pa. 535, 605 A.2d 1204 (1992), the Office of Disciplinary Counsel is charged with the duty of investigating and prosecuting all disciplinary matters subject to adjudication by the Board. See Enforcement Rule 208(a)(1), (a)(2)(iv). Under Enforcement Rule 208(d)(1), Board Members appointed in a matter to review Disciplinary Counsel’s charging decisions or recommended disposition are precluded from further participation in that matter.
(2) To appoint an Executive Director, a Chief Disciplinary Counsel, Legal Counsel and such staff as may from time to time be required to properly perform the functions prescribed by these rules.
(3) To appoint not less than 18 hearing committee members within each disciplinary district. Each person appointed as a hearing committee member for a district shall be a member of the bar of this Commonwealth who maintains an office for the practice of law within that district.
(4) To assign special masters pursuant to Rule 206(d).
(5) To assign formal charges or the conduct of an investigatory hearing to a hearing committee or special master, and to assign a reinstatement petition to a hearing committee. A hearing committee member who has passed upon Disciplinary Counsel’s recommended disposition of the matter shall be ineligible to serve on the hearing committee that considers the matter.
(6) To review the conclusions of hearing committees and special masters with respect to formal charges or petitions for reinstatement, and to prepare and forward its own findings and recommendations, together with the record of the proceeding before the hearing committee or special master, to the Supreme Court.
(7) To assign:
(i) hearing committee members to review and approve or modify recommendations by Disciplinary Counsel for dismissals, informal admonitions, private reprimands, public reprimands and institution of formal charges;
(ii) senior or experienced hearing committee members to hear and determine attacks on the validity of subpoenas issued pursuant to Enforcement Rule 213(a)(2) (relating to subpoena power, depositions and related matters), as provided in Enforcement Rule 213(d)(2); or
(iii) senior or experienced hearing committee members to consider a petition for reinstatement to active status from retired or inactive status, or administrative suspension, under Enforcement Rule 218 (relating to reinstatement proceedings) of a formerly admitted attorney who has not been suspended or disbarred.
(8) To review, through a designated panel of three members, and approve or modify a determination by a reviewing hearing committee member that a matter should be concluded by dismissal, private informal admonition, private reprimand, public reprimand or the institution of formal charges before a hearing committee.
(9) To review, through a designated panel of three members, and approve or reject a joint petition in support of discipline on consent filed with the Board pursuant to Enforcement Rule 215(d).
(10) To review, through a single member designated by the Board Chair, and approve or reject a certification filed by Disciplinary Counsel under Enforcement Rule 218(d)(2)(ii) indicating that Disciplinary Counsel has determined that there is no impediment to reinstatement of the petitioner, and to issue the report and recommendation required by subdivision (d) of Enforcement Rule 218.
(11) To administer, by the Board or through a designated panel of three members selected by the Board Chair, private reprimands or public reprimands to attorneys for misconduct.
(12) To adopt rules of procedure not inconsistent with these rules. Such rules may provide for the delegation to the Board Chair or the Vice-Chair of the power to act for the Board on administrative and procedural matters.
(13) To cause testimony relating to the conduct of formerly admitted attorneys to be perpetuated.
(14) To petition the Court under Enforcement Rule 301(d) (relating to proceedings where an attorney is declared to be incompetent or is alleged to be incapacitated) to determine whether an attorney is incapacitated from continuing the practice of law by reason of mental infirmity or illness or because of addiction to drugs or intoxicants, and to retain counsel other than Disciplinary Counsel to represent the Board in such proceedings when the Board considers such separate representation to be appropriate.
(15) To recommend the temporary suspension of a respondent-attorney pursuant to Enforcement Rule 208(f)(5) (relating to emergency temporary suspension orders and related relief).
(16) To decide, through the Board Chair, the Vice-Chair, or a designated lawyer-member of the Board, an interlocutory appeal to the Board when such appeal is permitted by the Enforcement Rules, the Board Rules, or other law.
(17) To authorize the use of electronic means to conduct prehearing conferences and post-hearing proceedings before a hearing committee, special master or the Board, but all adjudicatory proceedings shall be conducted in person unless warranted by extraordinary circumstances. Witness testimony may be presented via ACT upon motion for cause shown. All proceedings shall be conducted in accordance with Board Rules, Enforcement Rules and the decisional law of the Court and the Board.
(18) To establish, assess and collect:
(i) the necessary expenses incurred in the investigation and prosecution of a proceeding that results in the imposition of discipline, or the investigation and processing of a petition for reinstatement and in any proceeding resulting therefrom;
(ii) late payment penalties under Enforcement Rule 219(f)(1) for failure to timely complete annual registration; and
(iii) administrative fees for status changes where a petition for reinstatement is not required.
(19) To assess and collect reinstatement filing fees, administrative fees based on the imposition of a type of discipline or transfer to disability inactive status under Enforcement Rule 301(e), and penalties on unpaid taxed expenses and administrative fees.
(20) To establish, charge and collect a collection fee for any payment under paragraphs (18) and (19) that has been returned to the Board unpaid.
(21) To exercise the powers and perform the duties vested in and imposed upon the Board by law.
(d) The Board shall, to the extent it deems feasible, consult with officers of local bar associations in the counties affected concerning any appointment which it is authorized to make under these rules.
Source The provisions of this Rule 205 amended through April 1, 1983, effective April 2, 1983, 13 Pa.B. 1179; amended November 7, 1988, effective November 25, 1988, 18 Pa.B. 5246; amended December 6, 1989, effective December 23, 1989, 19 Pa.B. 5421; amended October 3, 1990, effective October 27, 1990, and shall govern all matters thereafter commenced and, insofar as just and practicable, matters then pending, 20 Pa.B. 5365; amended November 26, 1990, effective December 15, 1990, 20 Pa.B. 6141; amended January 13, 1993, effective January 30, 1993, 23 Pa.B. 538; amended March 15, 1994, effective immediately, 24 Pa.B. 1671; amended August 4, 1994, effective immediately, 24 Pa.B. 4188; amended March 4, 1997, effective immediately, 27 Pa.B. 1434; amended October 17, 2003, effective immediately, 33 Pa.B. 5412; amended September 9, 2004, effective September 25, 2004, 34 Pa.B. 5244; amended April 3, 2009, effective immediately, 39 Pa.B. 1980; amended April 16, 2009, effective May 1, 2009, 39 Pa.B. 2193; amended January 6, 2010, effective immediately, 40 Pa.B. 513; amended March 16, 2011, effective in 30 days, 41 Pa.B. 1757; amended May 17, 2012, effective in 30 days, 42 Pa.B. 3127; amended June 4, 2012, effective in 30 days, 42 Pa.B. 3431; amended April 18, 2019, effective in 30 days, 49 Pa.B. 2209; amended December 18, 2019, effective in 30 days, 50 Pa.B. 197; amended July 6, 2020, effective in 30 days, 50 Pa.B. 3571; amended August 19, 2022, effective in 30 days, 52 Pa.B. 5634; amended July 19, 2023, effective September 1, 2023, 53 Pa.B. 4385. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (411161) to (411164).
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