Rule 2.3 State Professional Responsibility Board
Title 2: Structure And Duties
Rule Text
(1) Appointment. Members of the SPRB are nominated by the Board and appointed by the Supreme Court. The SPRB shall be composed of eight resident attorneys and two members of the public who are not attorneys. Two attorney members shall be from Board Region 5, and one attorney member shall be from each of the remaining Board regions located within the state of Oregon. The public members shall be at-large appointees. Members of the SPRB shall be appointed for terms of not more than four years and shall serve not more than four years consecutively. Members are eligible for reappointment to a nonconsecutive term not to exceed four years. Each year the Board shall nominate and the court shall appoint one attorney member of the SPRB as chairperson. In the event the chairperson is unable to carry out any responsibility given to them by these rules, the chairperson may designate another attorney member of the SPRB to do so.
(2) Duties of SPRB. The SPRB shall supervise the investigation of grievances, allegations, or instances of alleged misconduct on the part of licensees and act on such matters as it may deem appropriate. A grievance from a client or other aggrieved person shall not be a prerequisite to the investigation of alleged misconduct by licensees or the institution of disciplinary proceedings against any licensee.
(3) Authority.
(a) The SPRB has the authority to dismiss grievances, allegations, or instances of alleged misconduct against licensee; refer matters to Disciplinary Counsel for further investigation; issue admonitions for misconduct; refer licensees to the State Lawyers Assistance Committee; direct Disciplinary Counsel to institute disciplinary proceedings against any licensee; or take other action within the discretion granted to the SPRB by these rules.
(b) The SPRB has the authority to adopt rules dealing with the handling of its affairs, subject to the Board’s approval.
(4) Resignation and Replacement. The court may remove, at its discretion, or accept the resignation of, any officer or member of the SPRB and appoint a successor who shall serve the unexpired term of the member who is replaced.
(5) Proceedings. Meetings of the SPRB are judicial proceedings under ORS 192.690(1)(j) and are not subject to the state Public Meetings Law or open to the public.
Amendment history: (Rule 2.3(b)(3) amended by Order dated April 4, 1991, effective April 15, 1991.) (Rule 2.3(b)(1) amended by Order dated April 4, 1991, effective October 7, 1991. Amended by Order dated June 5, 1997, effective July 1, 1997. Amended by Order dated February 5, 2001.) (Rule 2.3(b)(1) amended by Order dated June 17, 2003, effective July 1, 2003.) (Rule 2.3(b)(3) amended by Order dated July 9, 2003, effective August 1, 2003.) (Rule 2.3(a) amended by Order dated December 8, 2003, effective January 1, 2004.) (Rule 2.3(b)(1) amended by Order dated August 23, 2010, effective January 1, 2011.) (Former Rule 2.3(a)(1), 2.3(a)(2)(A), 2.3(a)(2)(B), 2.3(a)(2)(C), 2.3(a)(2)(D), 2.3(a)(2)(E), 2.3(a) (2)(F), 2.3(a)(3)(A), 2.3(a)(3)(B), 2.3(a)(3)(C), 2.3(b), 2.3(b)(3)(C), 2.3(b)(3)(D), and 2.3(b)(3) (E) deleted; former Rule 2.3(b)(1), 2.3(b)(2), 2.3(b)(3), 2.3(b)(3)(A), 2.3(b)(3)(B), and 2.3(c) redesignated as Rule 2.3(a), 2.3(b), 2.3(c), 2.3(c)(1), 2.3(c)(2), and 2.3(d) by Order dated May 3, 2017, effective January 1, 2018.) (Rule 2.3(b) and (c)(1) amended by Order dated August 17, 2022, effective July 1, 2023.) (Rule 2.3(a) amended by Order dated December 26, 2023, effective January 1, 2024.) (Rule 2.3(a)-(d) redesignated Rule 2.3(1)-(4) by Order dated May 23, 2024, effective January 1, 2025.) (Rule 2.3(2), (3), and (4) amended and Rule 2.3(5) added by Order dated October 15, 2025, effective January 1, 2026.)