FILING A GRIEVANCE
By Supreme Court rule, all grievances must be in writing and filed with the secretary of the district ethics committee for the district in which the lawyer has his or her main law office. In the event the committee determines that an actual conflict of interest exists in any case, either the member who has the conflict may be disqualified from participating in the case or, in appropriate cases, the matter may be transferred to another district. Ethical conduct is a personal obligation of a lawyer and therefore a grievance must be filed against a specific lawyer and not against a law firm. Because there are currently 17 district ethics committees throughout the state, you are advised to telephone the Ethics/Fee Arbitration Hotline at 1-(800)-406-8594. After you enter the zip code of the attorney's office address, you will be transferred to the appropriate district ethics committee Secretary to request grievance forms.
If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you may print an Attorney Grievance Form. Send the original and two (2) copies to the district secretary where the attorney has an office for practice.
When you complete and file an Attorney Grievance Form, you must provide sufficient detail about the facts of your grievance such as names and addresses of all witnesses, dates, and pertinent documentation to serve as a basis for further investigation. Failure to provide important facts and copies of important documents may result in a delay in the consideration of the grievance while the documentation is obtained.
State of NJ
