Statistics on Virginia’s Discipline of Lawyers (Fiscal Year 2021)

Legal Ethics

Reporting from the Virginia State Bar’s Office of Bar Counsel indicates general consistency in the overall number of complaints made against lawyers and the corresponding levels of discipline.

Encouraging still is that the processing of bar complaints is being handled more efficiently and with a reduction in the case loads and time periods for resolution (even as it is understood that attorney and investigator resources are the same or less).  Per “Bar Counsel’s Report on the State of the Disciplinary System,” a comparison between Fiscal Year 2016 and Fiscal 2021 shows as to the bar’s caseload that: “The numbers reflect more efficient processing of cases at virtually all levels, from the preliminary investigation stage through the subcommittee level stage, and from the subcommittee stage through hearing.  The numbers also reflect a significant increase in agreed dispositions.”  In fact, “agreed dispositions,” or settlements, totaled 86, which was the highest number in six years (49, 2019; 52, 2020).

A summary of reporting follows by fiscal year (July 1 to June 30):

  Fiscal Year 2019 Fiscal Year 2020 Fiscal Year 2021
Number of Complaints 3,123 3,091 2,614
Percentage of Complaints as to Total of Active Lawyers 9.5% (32,870 lawyers) 9.8% (31,693 lawyers) Not yet determined
Percentage Screened Out in Early Review 84% (2,626 cases) 79% (2,440 cases) 80% (2,099 cases)
Cases Dismissed 357 473 See below
Lawyers Receiving Private Discipline 42 54 40
Lawyers Receiving Public Discipline 67 74 94
Suspensions 20 20 44
Revocations (including consent/agreement) 17

27 (unconfirmed)

(bar counsel reports 34)

22 (including 13 consents to revocation)

While the overall number of bar complaints declined in Fiscal Year 2021, complaints have been trending upward since January 1, 2021, with a 19.3% increase in complaints in May of 2021 compared to May of 2020.  As in previous years, the dismissal of cases following the initial screening is most likely (and not surprising) early in the disciplinary process following additional explanation/investigation of the underlying circumstances giving rise to the complaint.  Specifically, in Fiscal Year 2021 (as of May 28, 2021), 129 cases were dismissed at the subcommittee level (which is the lowest level of disciplinary review following the referral of cases for investigation).

Jeff Geiger assists attorneys and law firms with ethics, legal malpractice and professional responsibility matters.  If you have any questions about this post or other issues, please contact Jeff at (804) 783-7248 or jgeiger@sandsanderson.com.

Subscribe for Updates

Subscribe to receive useful articles, legal updates and firm news to keep you informed and up-to-date on important issues and trends.

Sign Up

Media Contact

Rachel Lufkin
804.783.6799

Email Rachel 

Jump to Page

Sands Anderson Cookie Preference Center

Your Privacy

Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Always Active

Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. These cookies may only be disabled by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Functional Cookies

Always Active

Some functions of the site require remembering user choices, for example your cookie preference, or keyword search highlighting. These do not store any personal information.

Form Submissions

Always Active

When submitting your data, for example on a contact form or event registration, a cookie might be used to monitor the state of your submission across pages.

Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on its usage. We access and process information from these cookies at an aggregate level.

Powered by Firmseek