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Disciplinary Review Board

The next Disciplinary Review Board meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 in the Supreme Court courtroom at the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex. To view the live Board proceedings, select "Disciplinary Review Board" under "Administrative Office of the Courts" on the livestream page.

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Disciplinary Review Board
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. Box 962
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0965
609-815-2920
Timothy Ellis, Chief Counsel
609-815-2920

The Disciplinary Review Board (DRB) is part of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s attorney discipline process. It reviews all attorney misconduct cases prosecuted by the Office of Attorney Ethics (OAE). After it receives the OAE’s recommendation for discipline, the DRB reviews the entire record of the case. It then makes its own recommendation in the case.

Find a DRB Decision

Public Hearings

The DRB holds a public hearing for all cases in which the OAE recommends a sanction greater than admonition. The hearing is public.

View the latest DRB public hearing schedule.

Sanctions

After the hearing, the Board members deliberate and decide whether to dismiss the case or impose a sanction. The sanction for less serious cases could be a letter of admonition, reprimand, or censure. The letter is sent to the attorney and added to their public record. For more serious cases, the sanction could be either temporary suspension or permanent disbarment.

Supreme Court Review

The New Jersey Supreme Court must submit an order confirming each DRB decision. If the DRB recommends disbarment, the Court will review the case. They will hold their own public hearing before deciding on final discipline. Other than disbarment cases, DRB decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

Appeals

The Board reviews appeals from: (a) individuals (grievants) who have filed a grievance against an attorney and who claim that a District Ethics Committee (DEC) improperly dismissed the grievance after an investigation or hearing. R. 1:20-15(e); and (b) from parties to fee arbitration disputes who contend that grounds for appeal exist consistent with R. 1:20A-3(c), after notice of the Fee Arbitration Committee’s (FAC) determination. A Notice of Appeal form must be filed with the Disciplinary Review Board within 21 days from the date of the letter informing parties of the DEC’s dismissal or the FAC’s arbitration determination.

You can file your appeal online using the DRB eFile system. To eFile, register to create an account or use your existing Judiciary credentials to log in.

You may also obtain an appeal form. You must complete and sign the form and mail it to the address shown. Please note, Internet Explorer 11 and Acrobat Reader work best on the forms. If you are using another browser and you are having difficulty opening, filling out, or printing the forms, please click on the link below to see the specific instructions.

IMPORTANT: PDF viewers or readers other than Adobe may not work properly with our fillable pdf files.

To file an appeal from a district ethics committee's dismissal of a grievance in an ethics matter, complete the following form:

Ethics Notice of Appeal Form

Ethics Notice of Appeal Form - for mobile devices
 

To file an appeal of a fee arbitration matter, complete the following form:

Fee Arbitration Notice of Appeal Form

Fee Arbitration Notice of Appeal Form - for mobile devices

To get a hard copy of either form, call  609-815-2920 .

Be prepared to give the attorney’s name, ethics district docket number, and date of dismissal or fee determination.

Mail completed forms to:

Attention: Appeals Unit

Disciplinary Review Board
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. Box 962
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0965

For in-person delivery:

Attention: Appeals Unit

Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
25 Market Street
Floor 3rd Floor North
Trenton, New Jersey 08625

Administrative costs cases are paid by the attorney

The administrative fee is usually between $650 and $2,000 per case. Also, the attorney must cover other expenses such as transcripts, court reporter services, and copy fees. Attorneys who fail to pay the required fees can be suspended or denied reinstatement. A civil judgment also could be filed against them. Fees should be paid by check made out to “Disciplinary Oversight Committee.” Fees also can be paid using eCourts

Mail the fee to:
Attention: Costs Unit

Disciplinary Review Board
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. Box 962
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0965

Suspended attorneys must petition for reinstatement.

This process is explained in Court Rule 1:20-21. The attorney must file an original and 12 copies of the verified petition with the Board. Two copies also must be served on the Director of the Office of Attorney Ethics. The fee is $750. The check must be payable to “Disciplinary Oversight Committee.”

Mail petition, documentation, and fee to:
Attention: Reinstatement Unit

Disciplinary Review Board
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. Box 962
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0965

For in-person delivery
Attention: Reinstatement Unit

Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
25 Market Street
Floor 3rd Floor North
Trenton, New Jersey 08625

Also mail two copies to:
Attention: Director

Office of Attorney Ethics
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. Box 963
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0963

Annual Reports

DRB Annual Report 2023

DRB Annual Report 2022

DRB Annual Report 2021

DRB Annual Report 2020

DRB Annual Report 2019

DRB Members and Staff

The Board consists of nine members appointed by the Supreme Court. Board members serve without compensation. Three appointees are non-lawyer, public members, customarily one member is a retired judge of the Appellate Division or of the Superior Court; the remaining five members are attorneys.

Board Member

Office of Board Counsel

Hon. Mary Catherine Cuff, P.J.A.D. (Ret.)
Chair
Timothy M. Ellis
Chief Counsel
Peter J. Boyer
Vice-Chair
Nicole M. Acchione
First Assistant Counsel
Jorge A. Campelo Barry R. Petersen
Deputy Counsel
Thomas J. Hoberman Frances Bowdre
Assistant Counsel
Steven Menaker Salima E. Burke
Assistant Counsel
Remi L. Spencer Ashley Kolata-Guzik
Assistant Counsel
Peter Petrou Nicholas Logothetis
Assistant Counsel
Eileen Rivera Alisa H. Thatcher
Assistant Counsel
Lisa J. Rodriguez Amy M. Young
Associate Counsel
Disciplinary Review Board
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
25 Market Street
Floor 3rd Floor North
P.O. Box 962
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0965
609-815-2920