TRUMBULL COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION GRIEVANCE

                     PROCEDURE

1.  The grievance procedure is initiated by your call to the Trumbull 

    County Bar Association when your name, address, and phone number

    are taken.

2.  You then will receive a grievance form in the mail. Fill out this form,

    have it notarized and return in the envelope provided.

3.  When your grievance form is returned, it is then forwarded to the

    Trumbull County Bar Association Grievance Committee.

4.  The Committee then reviews your grievance and assigns an investigator 

    from the Committee to talk to both you and the attorney or judge your

    grievance is against within 30 days.

5.  The investigator then reports his/her findings to the Committee.

6.  The Committee then makes a determination on the grievance and notifies

    you in writing.

7.  There will be instructions accompanying the determination on how you

    can appeal the determination to the State Disciplinary Council in

    Columbus if you are dissatisfied.

8.  The Committee will attempt to handle all grievances within 90 days.

UNDERSTANDING THE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

	The Grievance Committee of the Trumbull County Bar Association has

been given authority by the Supreme Court of Ohio to investigate grievances 

against attorneys and judges, which arise in Trumbull County. If you do not

live in Trumbull County, and neither the attorney's office or your case is

situated in Trumbull County, you should contact the Office of Disciplinary 

Counsel of the Supreme Court of Ohio, 175 South Third Street, Suite 280,

Columbus, Ohio 43215.

     The authority of the Grievance Committee is limited to the investigation

of attorney misconduct, which would be in violation of the specific 

Disciplinary Rules, which are included in the attorneys' Code of Professional 

Responsibility.

     The Bar Association has no authority to investigate other behavior by 

an attorney,which the public may view as "unethical", but which is not

covered by the Disciplinary Rules.

     There are several important limitations on how and when the Bar 

Association can take action in response to your allegations against an 

attorney. First,neither the Bar Association nor its Grievance Committee can 

act as a court of appeals. It cannot overrule any decisions that have been 

made by a court. The Bar Association cannot change the outcome of your

case or redeem your losses, whether monetary or otherwise. The only 

function of the Grievance Committee is to investigate allegations of 

attorney misconduct and to either seek sanctions against the attorney 

in the Ohio Supreme Court or to exonerate the attorney when no misconduct

is found.

     Second, the Grievance Committee cannot interfere with ongoing court 

proceedings. The grievance process will not be used on behalf of one party 

in a lawsuit to put unfair pressure upon the other parties to that suit or 

upon the attorneys who are involved. The court system is the proper place 

for the resolution of civil or criminal disputes, and the injection of an 

attorney grievance into court proceedings is disruptive to the court system 

itself and may unfairly influence an attorney's representation of his client.

     Finally, it is important to recognize that the Bar Association and it,s

Grievance Committee cannot give you legal advice or represent you. The

Grievance Committee's function is to investigate, and seek discipline for, 

attorney misconduct. A person with a legal problem should consult an attorney,

and cannot rely on the Bar Association for legal representation.

     You may pursue a cause action in court against an attorney at the same 

time that your complaint against that attorney is being investigated by the 

Grievance Committee. However, the Grievance Committee will not be representing 

you, and the grievance procedure is separate and distinct from any civil 

cause of action. 

The fact that you have filed a grievance with the Bar Association will not 

affect the time limitations for the proper filing of a civil lawsuit,whether 

that suit is against your attorney or against anyone else. The investigation

of a grievance by the Bar Association will normally take from 60 to 90 days.

     The Grievance Committee operates under rules adopted by the Supreme Court

of Ohio which are designed to protect the public from attorney misconduct and to 

uphold the integrity of the Bar. It is the goal of Grievance Committee members 

to thoroughly investigate complaints of attorney misconduct in a manner that 

is fair to both the interests of the public and the accused attorney.