Rule Text
(a) In addition to the other powers and duties conferred upon them, the Chief Disciplinary Counsel, the Advisory Committee, and the regional disciplinary committees shall aid and assist the Board of Law Examiners in their duties under Rule 8.11.
(b) The Chief Disciplinary Counsel shall have access to the files and records of the Board of Law Examiners of all applicants who have been licensed to practice law in this jurisdiction to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel pursuant to this Rule 5.
Amendment history: (Adopted June 20, 1995, effective January 1, 1996. Amended February 13, 1996, effective March 1, 1998; Amended May 31, 2022, effective January 1, 2023.)
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
This rule sets up teamwork between the groups that handle lawyer discipline and the Board of Law Examiners, which decides who gets a law license in Missouri. The Chief Disciplinary Counsel, the Advisory Committee, and regional disciplinary committees all have a duty to help the Board of Law Examiners with its work under Rule 8.11.
The rule also gives the Chief Disciplinary Counsel access to the Board's files on people who have already been licensed to practice law in Missouri. This access is limited to what the Chief Disciplinary Counsel actually needs to do their job under the disciplinary rules. In short, this rule lets the two offices share information so they can each do their jobs properly, whether that means letting new lawyers into the profession or investigating lawyers who may have done something wrong.
