Pro Bono icon Discipline

Discipline icon Public discipline and disbarment

In 2019, 2,308 lawyers were publicly disciplined for misconduct in 43 states and the District of Columbia, according to the 2019 ABA Survey on Lawyer Discipline Systems. That represents roughly one-fifth of 1% (0.2%) of all practicing lawyers with active licenses in those states. 

Suspended  1,213
Admonished, reprimanded or censured  673
Disbarred  565
Probation  297
Total  2,748

 

The most common form of public discipline was a suspension. Of all the lawyers who were publicly disciplined in 2019, nearly half (44%) were suspended. An additional 21% were disbarred, 11% were placed on probation and 25% received admonishments, reprimands or censures. 


The ABA Center for Professional Responsibility is the only organization that collects, analyzes and compiles statistics about lawyer regulatory systems on a national basis. The numbers are collected from 56 lawyer disciplinary agencies, representing every state and the District of Columbia. However, comparisons over time can be difficult because not every agency participates in the survey every year. For the 2019 survey, all states participated except California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and part of New York.


Based on the states that have participated each year since 1998, the percentage of lawyers publicly disciplined has remained relatively constant, fluctuating between 0.20% and 0.38% of all lawyers. 


The percentage of lawyers disbarred is generally trending downward. From 1998 to 2004, roughly 0.07% to 0.08% of all active lawyers were disbarred each year. That was down in 2012 to 2019, when 0.05% to 0.06% of all lawyers were disbarred each year. 

Sources: 2019 ABA Survey on Lawyer Discipline Systems
* Does not include California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and part of New York

 

 

Discipline icon Public discipline by state
  Active
lawyers		 Complaints
received		 Lawyers
Publicly Disciplined		 Disbarred Suspended Admonished,
Reprimanded or
Censured		 Probation
Alabama 14,054 1,374 96 15 45 29 7
Alaska 3,096 212 1 0 0 1 0
Arizona 18,923 2,874 111 18 36 21 48
Arkansas 9,493 607 21 9 7 6 0
Colorado 27,255 3,400 65 15 41 16 18
Connecticut 33,328 810 42 1 33 13 2
Delaware 3,652 168 7 2 2 0 0
District of Columbia 80,256 1,147 55 17 73 11 6
Florida 90,784 3,557 242 82 112 63 24
Georgia 39,892 2,150 41 22 18 4 N/A
Hawaii 4,955 464 5 0 3 2 0
Idaho 5,284 428 8 1 4 14 4
Illinois 73,787 4,937 96 29 55 6 13
Indiana 18,608 1,414 38 2 30 1 8
Iowa 9,700 818 61 6 19 39 N/A
Kansas 11,094 908 22 3 4 15 1
Kentucky 18,977 1,057 22 2 17 5 1
Louisiana 22,679 1,856 126 22 62 8 33
Maine 5,357 194 16 1 4 10 1
Maryland 40,393 1,657 77 26 21 30 N/A
Michigan 42,502 NA 86 18 66 25 14
Minnesota 25,800 1,003 35 5 22 4 4
Mississippi 8,780 417 20 5 8 7 0
Missouri 30,942 1,733 54 22 22 1 10
Montana 4,035 293 12 3 3 4 0
Nebraska 6,711 422 5 4 1 0 1
Nevada 9,139 1,700 24 6 23 N/A 33
New Hampshire 5,541 186 18 3 8 11 3
New Mexico 7,572 667 8 7 6 4 4
New York (partial) 73,703 7,068 106 50 46 10 NA
North Carolina 29,267 1,258 89 17 20 84 8
North Dakota 3,101 156 5 1 1 3 0
Ohio 43,681 2,531 66 13 38 4 N/A
Oklahoma 18,240 1,041 12 5 12 0 0
Oregon 15,218 329 63 7 35 34 14
Pennsylvania 65,252 4,201 93 31 60 70 3
Rhode Island 5,085 328 3 0 3 0 0
Tennessee 23,110 1,242 58 17 27 14 11
Texas 105,125 7,505 211 30 142 39 N/A
Utah 9,870 897 29 10 8 7 7
Virginia 32,870 3,123 67 17 20 30 N/A
Washington 32,573 1,905 56 17 33 19 19
Wisconsin 25,300 1,518 30 2 20 8 N/A
Wyoming 2,999 161 6 2 3 1 0
TOTAL 1,157,983 69,716 2,308 565 1,213 673 297
• In 2019, state disciplinary agencies received 69,716 complaints in 43 states and the District of Columbia.
• Lawyer discipline is a state function, usually handled by the state Supreme Court or state licensing agency. The ABA does not handle lawyer discipline.

 

Sources: 2019 ABA Survey on Lawyer Discipline Systems
Download the ABA Profile of the Legal Profession in .pdf format