Section 89.277. Abbreviated reinstatement procedure

(a) Scope. This section is applicable to formal proceedings for reinstatement of formerly admitted attorneys who have been on inactive status and who have never been on administrative suspension, retired status or suspended for disciplinary reasons or disbarred. See § 89.273(b)(4) (relating to hearing before a single senior or experienced hearing committee member). This section shall not be available at any hearing conducted after review by a designated Board Member pursuant to § 89.273(b)(6)(i) (relating to hearing scheduled at the direction of the designated Board Member).

(b) General rule. The formerly admitted attorney and staff counsel in the manner provided by subsection (c) may agree to waive the preparation of a transcript and the filing of formal findings and recommendations. In such situations, unless the Board directs otherwise, the hearing committee member may submit to the Board a summary determination of the hearing committee member.

(c) Procedures.

(1) Immediately after the conclusion of the hearing the hearing committee member shall, if practicable and if neither the formerly admitted attorney nor staff counsel object thereto, determine the findings and recommendations of the hearing committee member.

(2) The hearing committee member shall deliver to the participants Form DB-46 (Hearing Committee Determination Under Abbreviated Reinstatement Procedure) setting forth in summary the findings and recommendations of the hearing committee member. The official reporter shall be directed by the hearing committee not to prepare a transcript until receipt from the hearing committee member of specific instructions to do so.

(3) The participants shall be conclusively deemed to have accepted and to have stipulated that the Board shall recommend to the Supreme Court the findings and recommendations of the hearing committee member unless either the formerly admitted attorney or staff counsel shall, within five days after receipt of the Form DB-46 as provided in paragraph (2) file a copy of such Form DB-46 with objections to the findings and recommendations of the hearing committee member.

(4) If a timely objection is made as provided in paragraph (3) the participants may file briefs, the official reporter shall be directed to prepare a transcript and the hearing committee member shall submit to the Board formal findings and recommendations in the manner and within the time otherwise provided by these rules.

(5) If no timely objection is made no briefs shall be filed, no formal findings and recommendations shall be prepared by the hearing committee member and the official reporter shall not prepare a transcript. The hearing committee member shall, however, prepare and file a brief summary of the case, in the form of a letter to the Board, which summary ordinarily should not exceed two pages in length, and the record of the proceedings shall forthwith be transmitted to the Office of the Secretary which shall serve upon the formerly admitted attorney and staff counsel copies of the brief summary of the case filed by the hearing committee member.

(6) Thereafter the Board shall either:

(i) recommend to the Supreme Court the disposition stipulated by the participants; or

(ii) remand the record to the hearing committee member with instructions to fix a briefing schedule and to proceed as provided in paragraph (4), if for any reason the disposition stipulated by the parties is not accepted by the Board.

(7) Where the proceeding is disposed of as provided by paragraph (6)(i), the official reporter shall preserve the untranscribed notes or recording of testimony in the manner and for the duration specified by the Office of the Secretary.

The provisions of this § 89.277 adopted February 13, 1981, effective February 14, 1981, 11 Pa.B. 639; amended August 7, 2009, effective immediately, 39 Pa.B. 4725. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (281379) to (281380).