Yep. Lawyers are untouchable, that is one of the main reasons why the profession is as much of a mess as it is.
Yep. Lawyers are untouchable, that is one of the main reasons why the profession is as much of a mess as it is.
The ABA is a lobbyist organization. It probably has less influence that the AMA, UFT/AFT, AARP, and the Public Employees Union.
The ABA is NOT responsible for attorney discipline. That task belongs to the state and federal judiciary. Although I cannot speak for other states, in NY, each judicial district has a grievance committee that reports to the judges who sit on one of four appellate courts. Incompetent or dishonest lawyers are referred to the grievance committee by clients, judges, and other attorneys. Each grievance committee has its own private investigators and attorneys that prosecute cases against other attorneys. Despite what you might think, the system does work, and lawyers are severally punished. In fact, I know lawyers who have been suspended and disbarred, not for the underlying act that got them in trouble in the first place, but for merely failing to cooperate with the grievance committee. Again, I can't speak for what happens in other states, but I'm willing to bet that the disciplinary procedures that govern attorneys in NY are a heck of a lot more effective than the diciplinary procedures that govern the medical profession, teachers, and cops.