Rule 9.124 - Procedure for Reinstatement(A) Filing of Petition. An attorney petitioning for reinstatement shall file the original petition for reinstatement with the Supreme Court clerk and a copy with the board and the commission.(B) Petitioner's Responsibilities.(1) Separately from the petition for reinstatement, the petitioner must serve only upon the administrator a personal history affidavit. The affidavit is to become part of the administrator's investigative file and may not be disclosed to the public except under the provisions of MCR 9.126. The affidavit must contain the following information: (a) every residence address since the date of disqualification from the practice of law;(b) employment history since the time of disqualification, including the nature of employment, the name and address of every employer, the duration of such employment, and the name of the petitioner's immediate supervisor at each place of employment; if requested by the grievance administrator, the petitioner must provide authorization to obtain a copy of the petitioner's personnel file from the employer;(c) a copy of a current driver's license;(d) any continuing legal education in which the petitioner participated during the period of disqualification from the practice of law;(e) bank account statements, from the date of disqualification until the filing of the petition for reinstatement, for each and every bank account in which petitioner is named in any capacity;(f) copies of the petitioner's personal and business federal, state, and local tax returns from the date of disqualification until the filing of the petition for reinstatement, and if the petitioner owes outstanding income taxes, interest, and penalties, the petitioner must provide a current statement from the taxation authority of the current amount due; if requested by the grievance administrator, the petitioner must provide a waiver granting the grievance administrator authority to obtain information from the tax authority;(g) any and all professional or occupational licenses obtained or maintained during the period of disqualification and whether any were suspended or revoked;(h) any and all names used by petitioner since the time of disqualification;(i) petitioner's place and date of birth;(j) petitioner's social security number;(k) whether, since the time of disqualification, petitioner was a party or a witness in any civil case, and the title, docket number, and court in which the case occurred;(l) whether the petitioner was a party to any civil case, including the title, docket number, and court in which such case was filed; the petitioner must provide copies of the complaints and any dispositional orders or judgments, including settlement agreements, in such cases;(m) whether the petitioner was a defendant or a witness in any criminal case, and the title, docket number, and court in which such case was filed; the petitioner must provide copies of the indictments or complaints and any dispositional orders or judgments of conviction in cases in which the petitioner was a defendant;(n) whether the petitioner was subject to treatment or counseling for mental or emotional impairments, or for substance abuse or gambling addictions since the time of disqualification; if so, the petitioner must provide a current statement from the petitioner's service provider setting forth an evaluative conclusion regarding the petitioner's impairment(s), the petitioner's treatment records, and prognosis for recovery.(2) The petitioner must, contemporaneously with the filing of the petition for reinstatement and service on the administrator of the personal history affidavit, remit (a) to the administrator the fee for publication of a reinstatement notice in the Michigan Bar Journal.(b) to the board the basic administrative costs required under MCR 9.128(B)(1)(i) an administrative cost of $750 where the discipline imposed was a suspension of less than 3 years;(ii) an administrative cost of $1,500 where the discipline imposed was a suspension of 3 years or more or disbarment.(3) If the petition is facially sufficient and the petitioner has provided proof of service of the personal history affidavit upon the administrator and paid the publication fee required by subrule (B)(2), the board shall assign the petition to a hearing panel. Otherwise, the board may dismiss the petition without prejudice, on its own motion or the motion of the administrator.
(4) A petitioner who files the petition before the term of suspension ordered has fully elapsed must file an updated petition and serve upon the administrator an updated personal history affidavit within 14 days after the term of suspension ordered has fully elapsed. All petitioners remain under a continuing obligation to provide updated information bearing upon the petition or the personal history affidavit.(5) The petitioner must cooperate fully in the investigation by the administrator into the petitioner's eligibility for reinstatement by promptly providing any information requested. If requested, the petitioner must participate in a recorded interview and answer fully and fairly under oath all questions about eligibility for reinstatement.(C) Administrator's Responsibilities.(1) Within 14 days after the commission receives its copy of the petition for reinstatement, the administrator shall submit to the Michigan Bar Journal for publication a notice briefly describing the nature and date of the discipline, the misconduct for which the petitioner was disciplined, and the matters required to be proved for reinstatement.(2) The administrator shall investigate the petitioner's eligibility for reinstatement before a hearing on it, report the findings in writing to the board and the hearing panel within 56 days of the date the board assigns the petition to the hearing panel, and serve a copy on the petitioner.(a) For good cause, the hearing panel may allow the administrator to file the report at a later date, but in no event later than 7 days before the hearing.(b) The report must summarize the facts of all previous misconduct and the available evidence bearing on the petitioner's eligibility for reinstatement. The report is part of the record but does not restrict the parties in the presentation of additional relevant evidence at the hearing. Any evidence omitted from the report or received by the administrator after the filing of the report must be disclosed promptly to the hearing panel and to the opposing party.(D) Hearing on Petition. A reinstatement hearing may not be held earlier than 28 days after the administrator files the investigative report with the hearing panel unless the hearing panel has extended the deadline for filing the report. The proceeding on a petition for reinstatement must conform as nearly as practicable to a hearing on a complaint. The petitioner shall appear personally before the hearing panel for cross-examination by the administrator and the hearing panel and answer fully and fairly under oath all questions regarding eligibility for reinstatement. The administrator and the petitioner may call witnesses or introduce evidence bearing upon the petitioner's eligibility for reinstatement. The hearing panel must enter an order granting or denying reinstatement and make a written report signed by the chairperson, including a transcript of the testimony taken, pleadings, exhibits and briefs, and its findings of fact. A reinstatement order may grant reinstatement subject to conditions that are relevant to the established misconduct or otherwise necessary to insure the integrity of the profession, to protect the public, and to serve the interests of justice. The report and order must be filed and served under MCR 9.118(F).(E) Review. Review is available under the rules governing review of other hearing panel orders.