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The Process to Report a Bad Lawyer

When you are a victim of a bad attorney—one who fails to perform the legal duties as agreed to or the standards of practice set forth by the Missouri State Bar—you have two recourses.  Which action you take depends on whether or not the bad Missouri lawyer's actions resulted in financial loss to you. 

  • No financial loss—you can still report the lawyer. 
  • Yes, financial loss—you can report the lawyer and sue the lawyer for legal malpractice.

How to report a bad lawyer in Missouri

To protect the public from lawyers who are not sufficiently qualified or who are not authorized to be in the practice of law in our state, the Missouri Supreme Court has created an attorney disciplinary system, which you can employ to file a grievance against a bad lawyer.

The attorney disciplinary system is made up of two bodies—a Chief Disciplinary Counsel as well as a collection of Regional Disciplinary Committees.  The Chief Disciplinary Counsel and the Regional Disciplinary Committees work together to investigate complaints of professional misconduct against Missouri lawyers.

When you accuse an attorney of professional misconduct,  the attorney may request a hearing to be held before a disciplinary hearing panel.  The panel is selected by the Advisory Committee from a pool of disciplinary hearing officers appointed by the Supreme Court.

The disciplinary hearing panel always has three people on it—two lawyers and one layperson. The panel reviews the case and studies the evidence. If the evidence indicates that your lawyer is guilty of misconduct, the panel does three things—

  • Makes findings of fact
  • Makes conclusions of law
  • Makes recommendations for discipline

Their report is then filed with the Supreme Court.  The Supreme Court determines whether to impose any discipline if it finds it to be so warranted. 

To learn more about the Legal Ethics Counsel and the attorney disciplinary system, see the Advisory Committee of the Supreme Court of Missouri website.

How to file a case for legal malpractice

If you have suffered financial harm due to the legal negligence of a bad lawyer, you may contact us online or call 877.382.9734.  The Hershewe Law Firm, P.C. is experienced in helping clients recover losses from bad lawyers through Missouri legal malpractice lawsuits. 

Ed Hershewe and his team know where to look and how to find the answers for which you are searching.  We investigate, give you straight answers, and provide a realistic assessment of your case.  We help you understand what really happened and help you recover for your losses.
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Location: 431 South Virginia Avenue, Joplin, MO 64801       Toll Free: 877.382.9734       Fax: 417.782.8482
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