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Article IV—Mandatory Course for New Admittees
- Section 1 Mandatory Course
- Pursuant to an order of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
of February 24, 1994, any attorney admitted to the Bar of the District
of Columbia after July 1, 1994, must complete the Mandatory Course
on the District of Columbia Rules of Professional Conduct and District
of Columbia Practice within twelve (12) months of admission to the
Bar. The District of Columbia Bar shall offer the course at least
six (6) times a year.
Section 2 Suspension for Failure to Complete
the Mandatory Course on the District of Columbia Rules of Professional
Conduct and District of Columbia Practice- If a member admitted after July 1, 1994, regardless of status, has
not completed the Mandatory Course on the District of Columbia Rules
of Professional Conduct and District of Columbia Practice within ten
(10) months of admission to the Bar, the Secretary, or his/her delegate,
shall send forthwith to the member notice that the member is not yet
in compliance, and that unless the member completes the Mandatory
Course within one hundred and twenty (120) days after issuance of
such notice of noncompliance, the membership of such member shall
be, and is, automatically suspended pursuant to this Section. If the
member has not completed the mandatory course within twelve (12) months
of admission to the Bar, the Secretary or his/her delegate shall send
forthwith to the member, notice that the member is not in compliance,
and that unless the member completes the course within sixty (60)
days after issuance of such notice of noncompliance, the membership
of such member shall be, and is, automatically suspended pursuant
to this Section. In the event of suspension, the Secretary or his/her
delegate shall notify the clerks of the D.C. Court of Appeals and
the D.C. Superior Court of the suspension.
Section 3 Reinstatement - Any member suspended pursuant to Section 2 above for failure to
complete the course on the District of Columbia Rules of Professional
Conduct and District of Columbia Practice shall be reinstated by the
Executive Director upon (i) submission of a written request for reinstatement;
(ii) submission of certification of completion of the course on the
District of Columbia Rules of Professional Conduct and District of
Columbia Practice; (iii) payment of any due but unpaid dues and late
fee; (iv) payment of a reinstatement fee of $50.00; and (v) submission
of a statement that the member is not suspended, temporarily suspended,
or disbarred by any disciplinary authority.
Section 4 Retroactive Reinstatement- In an appropriate case, the Board of Governors may
reinstate an attorney to membership under Section 3 above retroactively,
as of the date of suspension. An appropriate case for purposes of
this section shall be only an instance in which the suspension resulted
from error or omission on the part of the Bar. In such case, the reinstatement
fee referred to in Section 3 may be waived.
Section 5 Alternative to In-Person Attendance
at the Mandatory Course for New Admittees - If a member who is required to complete the Mandatory Course on
the District of Columbia Rules of Professional Conduct and District
of Columbia Practice is unable to attend one of the regularly scheduled
courses because of an extreme hardship, he/she may request that this
requirement be met by use of an audiotaped course provided by the
District of Columbia Bar. "Extreme hardship" may include a severe,
prolonged illness which makes physical attendance at the Mandatory
Course inordinately difficult, or such cause as may be determined
by the Executive Director of the District of Columbia Bar or his/her
delegate. Except under extraordinary circumstances, extreme hardship
shall not include absence from the District of Columbia. The District
of Columbia Bar will provide reasonable accommodations to persons
with disabilities as required by individual circumstances. In all
cases, the determination of the Executive Director shall be final.
A member requesting alternative compliance shall submit the request,
in writing, to the Executive Director, and shall attest to and furnish
such substantiation of his/her extreme hardship as the Executive Director
may require.
Section 6 Form of Notice; Deadlines- All notices hereunder sent to a member shall be sent in writing
by first class mail. If a notice is postmarked later than the date
of the notice, the date of the postmark shall control. The deadline
for a date hereunder that may fall in that given year on a weekend
or District of Columbia holiday shall be the next regular business
day.
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