Regulation 7 - Board-Appointed Master(A)Appointment. The Board may appoint one or more masters to perform duties set forth in Gov. Bar R. V and these regulations. A Board-appointed master shall have formerly served as a judge or attorney commissioner of the Board and shall be registered as active with the Supreme Court. At the request of a hearing panel chair, a master may assume any or all case management responsibilities occurring after the appointment of a hearing panel and before the formal hearing on the complaint, but shall not exercise adjudicatory powers under Gov. Bar R. V.(B)Compensation. A Board-appointed master shall be entitled to a per diem and be reimbursed for travel on the same basis as commissioners of the Board.(C)Proceedings and Powers. The order of reference to a master shall be signed by the chair of a hearing panel. The order of reference may specify or limit the master's powers and may direct the master to report only upon particular issues or to perform particular acts. Unless so specified or limited, the master may perform all of the following:(1) Assist the parties and counsel in making all discovery disclosures including the use of interrogatories, depositions, and requests for admission;(2) Conduct pre-trials with counsel and supervise the amendment of pleadings, the use of stipulations between the parties, the preparation of witness lists and exhibits;(3) Rule on all motions and interlocutory matters, after consultation with the panel chair, that occur after the appointment of a hearing panel and before the formal hearing on the complaint;(4) Fix a date for the formal hearing before the hearing panel after consultation with the panel chair.(D)Report. The master shall prepare a written report upon the matters submitted to or considered by the master after consultation with the parties and the panel chair. The master shall serve a copy of the report on each party and file the report with the director. The report shall become the order of the Board unless a party files a written objection to the report within ten days of the filing with the Board. All objections shall be decided by the chair of the hearing panel as set forth in Gov. Bar R. V.Ohio. Gov. Bar. R., reg. 7
Amended effective 3/1/2023.