Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 6, September 16, 2024
(a) Standing
committee(s): The standing committees shall be the Nominating Committee, Pro
Bono Committee, Grievance Committee, and Professionalism Committee provided
that, with respect to the Grievance Committee, the district meets the State Bar
guidelines relating thereto.
(b)
Grievance Committee:
(1) The Grievance
Committee shall consist of at least five but not more than thirteen persons
appointed by the president to staggered three year terms as provided by the
Rules and Regulations of the North Carolina State Bar governing Judicial
District Grievance Committees.
(2)
The Grievance Committee shall assist the Grievance Committee of the North
Carolina State Bar by receiving grievances, investigating grievances,
evaluating grievances, informally mediating disputes, facilitating
communication between lawyers and clients and referring members of the public
to other appropriate committees or agencies for assistance.
(3) The Grievance Committee shall operate in
strict accordance with the rules and policies of the North Carolina State Bar
with respect to district bar grievance committees.
(c) Special Committees: Special committees
may be created and appointed by the president.
(d) Nominating Committee:
(1) The Nominating Committee shall be
appointed by the officers (or the board of directors) of the district bar and
shall consist of at least three active members of the district bar who are not
officers or directors of the district bar.
(2) The Nominating Committee shall meet as
necessary for the purpose of nominating active members of the district bar as
candidates for officers and councilor(s) and the board of directors, if
any.
(3) The Nominating Committee
members shall serve one-year terms beginning on ___________________ and ending
on _________________.
(4) Any
active member whose name is submitted for consideration for nomination to any
office or as a councilor must have indicated his or her willingness to serve if
selected.
(e) Pro Bono
Committee:
(1) The Pro Bono Committee shall
consist of at least five active members of the district bar appointed by the
president.
(2) The Pro Bono
Committee shall meet at least once each quarter and shall have the duty of
encouraging members of the district bar to provide pro bono legal services. The
committee shall also develop programs whereby attorneys not involved in other
volunteer legal service programs may provide pro bono legal service in their
areas of concentration and practice.
(3) The members of the Pro Bono Committee
shall serve one-year terms commencing on __________________.
(f) Professionalism Committee:
(1) The Professionalism Committee shall
consist of the three immediate past presidents of the district bar or such
other members of the district bar as shall be appointed by the
president.
(2) The purpose of the
Professionalism Committee shall be the promotion of professionalism and thereby
the bolstering of public confidence in the legal profession. The committee may
further enhance professionalism through CLE programs and, when appropriate,
through confidential peer intervention in association with the Professionalism
Support Initiative (PSI) which is sponsored and supported by the Chief
Justice's Commission on Professionalism. The PSI effort is to investigate and
informally assist with client-lawyer, lawyer-lawyer, and lawyer-judge
relationships to ameliorate disputes, improve communications, and repair
relationships. The Professionalism Committee shall have no authority to
discipline any lawyer or judge, or to force any lawyer or judge to take any
action. The committee shall not investigate or attempt to resolve complaints of
professional misconduct cognizable under the Rules of Professional Conduct and
shall act in accordance with Rules 1.6(c) and 8.3 of the Rules of Professional
Conduct. The committee shall consult and work with the Chief Justice's
Commission on Professionalism when appropriate.
Authority
G.S.
84-18.1;
84-23;
Adopted Eff.
March 7, 1996;
Amendments Approved by the Supreme Court: March 6,
2002; March 6, 2008; September 25, 2019.