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Saturday, May 13, 2006
Ind. Courts - South Carolina bar hopes to post lawyers' records
The Charleston South Carolina Post & Courier has a story today about publishing attorneys' disciplinary records online. Some quotes:
The S.C. Bar hopes to begin posting the disciplinary records of the state's 11,500 lawyers on the Internet by this summer.Bar President-elect Bradish J. Waring of Charleston said the move is another in a series of steps to reinforce public confidence in the legal profession. * * *
Last winter, the Bar opted to start posting lawyer disciplinary actions, just as bar organizations do in a dozen other states.
Weekly lawyer disciplines already are electronically posted by the S.C. Supreme Court as they are issued.
But the state Bar wants all lawyer information and all lawyer histories available to the public on a single, easy to navigate site. The disciplinary marks, running from light reprimands to outright disbarment, would cover public actions against "any living lawyer in their lifetime," said Waring, a partner in the firm of Nexsen Pruet in Charleston.
One of the biggest hurdles has been assembling the data. South Carolina has more than 11,500 lawyers and all practicing attorneys in South Carolina must belong to the Bar
Those attorney records go back decades and "are not in the best shape," Waring said.
One issue to be addressed is how long the disciplines will be posted. The current suggestion is for 75 years, Waring said. He thinks a 50-year limit is more practical, given lawyer retirement and mortality.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on May 13, 2006 12:11 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts