Washington, DC-On the heels of widely publicized ethical abuses by court-appointed guardians and a grave resources crisis that threatens to mount in the nation's capital, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals has begun the process of raising mandatory bar dues by 25 percent to improve the District's badly broken attorney discipline system. HALT, a national legal watchdog, praised the court's action, noting that a lift in the dues ceiling is necessary to responsibly address a rapidly building backlog of attorney discipline cases and an office paralyzed by an acute lack of staff and space.

"The District's failure to adequately fund its attorney discipline system is a black mark against the legal profession in the nation's capital," stated HALT Executive Director James C. Turner. "The shameful state of our discipline system, with its growing backlog of cases, endless delays and slap-on-the-wrist sanctions, demands thorough reassessment and reform. We hope that the Court of Appeals takes this opportunity to begin a long overdue process of crafting a system that investigates promptly, enforces real deadlines and publicly sanctions lawyers whose misconduct victimizes vulnerable consumers."

Filing comments with the court today in support of the dues increase, HALT-An Organization of Americans for Legal Reform argued that the additional $2 million a year generated by the dues increase should be used to cure the system's severe resources crisis. By hiring more staff and acquiring more space, the District's attorney discipline can begin to become more prompt, responsive and fair.

While more funds are desperately needed, they are only the first step. The systems' problems are more deep-seated and demand a more radical response than simply throwing money at the system. HALT advised the court to go further than simply raising bar dues by adopting three reforms crucial to making the system more effective and credible: increased nonlawyer participation, more even-handed procedures and firm deadlines.

"Consideration of the dues increase affords the Court of Appeals an excellent opportunity to construct a more comprehensive and productive set of solutions to repair this devestated system," stated HALT Associate Counsel Suzanne M. Mishkin.

If the court endorses the dues increase and adopts these reforms, a hamstrung and distrusted system could be replaced with one that actually protects District residents against unethical and incompetent attorneys.

Founded in 1978, HALT-An Organization of Americans for Legal Reform is a non-partisan, non-profit public interest organization. HALT pursues an ambitious education and advocacy program that challenges the legal establishment to improve access and accountability and reduce costs in the civil justice system.

Please visit www.halt.org for more information. A full copy of HALT's comments to the D.C. Court of Appeals is available upon request or on the Web at the following address:

Read HALT's Full Comments to the D.C. Court of Appeals.