Disciplinary Board

The 20-member Board, appointed by the Supreme Court of Virginia, is composed of 16 attorneys and 4 lay members. The Board hears the most serious cases of lawyer misconduct and issues written opinions following its hearings.

Sitting on a panel of four lawyers and one lay member, members consider: (1) appeals from Public or Private Reprimands or Admonitions imposed by a subcommittee or local disciplinary district committee; (2) complaints and certifications submitted to it by a subcommittee or local disciplinary district committee; (3) misconduct by reason of conviction of a crime; (4) impairment proceedings; (5) Revocation or Suspension in another jurisdiction; (6) motions for Summary Suspension; (7) Petitions for Reinstatement; (8) violations of RESA; and (9) all other matters enumerated in the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia.

• There will be three (3) lawyer and one (1) lay member vacancies on July 1, 2024.
• The application period runs from September 12 through November 14, 2023.
• Prior District Committee service is required.
• Attorney Applications:
• The applicant must submit (i) a current resume or curriculum vitae (CV) and (ii) a writing sample responding to a disciplinary system hypothetical fact pattern.
• Your resume/CV should highlight: (i) litigation experience; (ii) familiarity with Part 6, Section IV, Paragraph 13 of the Rules of Court; (iii) judicial or quasi-judicial experience; (iv) Familiarity with the Rules of Evidence; and (v) experience with the VSB Disciplinary System.
• The hypothetical for the writing sample Word document is available for download.
• Lay Member Applications: Applicants must submit a current resume or CV and a brief statement of interest.
• All applications should be addressed to Stephanie Grana, Chair, VSB Nominating Committee, Virginia State Bar, 1111 E. Main Street, Suite 700, Richmond, VA 23219 and emailed to [email protected].
• Additional information on the application process are available at the VSB website.
• Questions should be directed via email to [email protected].

Once the application period is closed, there is a four-step review and selection process:

• The Disciplinary Board will initially review applications and refer them to the Nominating Committee.
• The Nominating Committee will review the applications and make recommendations to the VSB Executive Committee and Council.
• The VSB Executive Committee and Council, at their February 2024 meeting, will review the applications and make recommendations to the Supreme Court of Virginia.
• The Supreme Court of Virginia will make a decision on the recommendations at its March 2024 business meeting.

Board members who are completing their second full, consecutive, three-year term are ineligible for appointment. They are eligible to serve again one year after the expiration of their second term.

Individuals are ineligible for appointment if they:

• Do not have prior Local Disciplinary District Committee service;
• Have ever been convicted of a crime, in any jurisdiction;
• Have ever committed any criminal act that reflects adversely on their honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a member of the District Committee;
• Have ever had prior discipline involving disbarment, revocation, or suspension;
• Had a public reprimand in the prior 10 years; or
• Had private discipline or an admonition in the prior five years.

Appointed members may serve two consecutive 3-year terms. An unexpired term appointment may serve two consecutive 3-year terms after completing the unexpired term.

Attorneys are a self-regulating profession in the Commonwealth governed by a code of ethics to which attorneys must comply and procedures by which attorneys who violate that code of ethics will be disciplined. This system of self-regulation is powered by approximately 200 attorneys and lay members who volunteer their time to sit on District Committees, the Disciplinary Board, and the Committee on Lawyer Discipline (COLD) – all of which play an integral role in determining whether ethical misconduct has occurred and the appropriate sanction related thereto.