Sen. Vince Leach in a 2021 file photo /Capitol Media Services/Howard Fischer
By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services
Saying the lawyer discipline process has been “weaponized” as a political tool, a veteran Republican lawmaker is moving to give people second thoughts before filing complaints against their attorneys.
And it all comes as Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Board of Regents each are asking the State Bar of Arizona to impose sanctions against Attorney General Mark Brnovich, contending he has violated the ethical rules that govern the conduct of lawyers and should be disciplined.
SB 1566, proposed by Sen. Vince Leach of Tucson, says that if someone files a complaint with the Bar and any investigation does not result in discipline, both the Bar and the person who brought the complaint are responsible not just for the lawyer’s legal fees, but also any “loss of future earnings and damage to the attorney’s reputation.”
That, however, isn’t Leach’s only attack on the process.
He also introduced SB 1565 which says that the Arizona Supreme Court, which ultimately decides who gets to practice law in the state, cannot require that a lawyer be a member of the State Bar or any organization to become or remain licensed as an attorney.
The efforts drew an angry reaction from Hobbs.
