Annotated Standards for Imposing Lawyer Sanctions

For lawyer discipline to be truly effective, sanctions must be based on clearly developed standards. Inappropriate sanctions can undermine the goals of lawyer discipline: sanctions which are too lenient fail to adequately deter misconduct and thus lower public confidence in the profession; sanctions which are too onerous may impair confidence in the system and deter lawyers from reporting ethical violations on the part of other lawyers. Inconsistent sanctions, either within a jurisdiction or among jurisdictions, cast doubt on the efficiency and the basic fairness of all disciplinary systems. This inaugural edition of the Annotated ABA Standards for Imposing Lawyer Sanctions presents an authoritative and practical analysis of the cases and other legal authorities essential to understanding the application of the black letter Standards. This book is a must buy for state supreme courts, lawyer disciplinary counsel, disciplinary adjudicators and lawyers representing other lawyers in the disciplinary process. Since first being adopted in 1986 the Standards have served as a model comprehensive system for the imposition of lawyer disciplinary sanctions that leaves appropriate flexibility for courts and disciplinary agencies given the particular facts of each case of lawyer misconduct. Contents: Preface; Standards for imposing lawyer sanctions; Purpose and nature of sanctions; Sanctions; Factors to be considered in imposing sanctions; Table of Cases; Index.