Rule 19-719 - Peer Review Panel(a) Appointment. Within 30 days after receiving a copy of a Statement of Charges filed with the Commission, the Chair of the Peer Review Committee shall (1) appoint a Peer Review Panel, (2) notify the Commission, Bar Counsel, and the attorney of the appointment of the Panel and the names and addresses of its members, (3) cause a copy of the statement of charges and documentation and information filed by Bar Counsel to be sent to the members of the Panel, and (4) in accordance with Rule 19-720(b), schedule a meeting of the Peer Review Panel.(b) Composition of Panel.(1) The Peer Review Panel shall consist of at least three members of the Peer Review Committee.(2) A majority of the members of the Panel shall be attorneys, but at least one member shall not be an attorney.(3) If practicable, the Chair shall appoint to the Panel members from the circuit in which the attorney who is the subject of the charges has an office for the practice of law or, if there is no such office, the circuit in which the last known address of the attorney, as reflected on the records of the Client Protection Fund, is located.(c) Panel Chair. The Chair of the Peer Review Committee shall appoint an attorney member of the Panel as the Panel Chair.(d) Removal and Recusal of Members. The Chair of the Peer Review Committee may remove a member of the Peer Review Panel for cause. A member of a Peer Review Panel shall not participate in any proceeding in which the member's impartiality might reasonably be questioned. A member who is required to recuse or who cannot attend the Peer Review meeting shall immediately notify the Chair of the Peer Review Committee, who shall promptly appoint another member.(e) Quorum. The presence of any three members of the Peer Review Panel constitutes a quorum, whether or not a non-attorney member is present. With the consent of the Panel members who are present, Bar Counsel and the attorney may waive the quorum requirement. The concurrence of a majority of the members present is necessary to a recommendation to the Commission. This Rule is derived from former Rule 16-742(2016).
Adopted June 6, 2016, eff. 7/1/2016; amended July 8, 2021, eff. 10/1/2021.