In July 2006, the Supreme Judicial Court approved an increase in annual attorney registration fees effective September 1, 2006. Attorney registration fees support the operations of the Board of Bar Overseers, the Office of Bar Counsel, the Clients' Security Board and Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers. The new increase is projected to last the next five years. The last fee increase, effective in September 1998, lasted eight years, longer than any increase in the Board's history

INFORMATION CONCERNING AGENCIES AND FUNCTIONS SUPPORTED BY ATTORNEY REGISTRATION FEES

The Board of Bar Overseers The Board of Bar Overseers was established by the Supreme Judicial Court in 1974 to maintain records of all attorneys registered to practice in Massachusetts and to administer and recommend to the Court appropriate discipline in cases of attorney misconduct. The Board is comprised of eight attorneys and four public members. The Board also appoints approximately 115 Hearing Committee members; these individuals sit in three-person committees hear disciplinary cases brought by the Office of Bar Counsel. Neither Board nor Hearing Committee members receive compensation for their services. Please visit the following website for additional information: www.mass.gov/obcbbo/board.htm.

Clients' Security Board: The Supreme Judicial Court established the Clients' Security Board in 1974 to reimburse clients whose financial losses were caused by the defalcations of their attorneys. The Massachsuetts Clients' Security Board is one of the most respected in the nation. It serves to promote confidence in the Bar and to enhance the reputations of all practicing attorneys. Members of the Clients' Security Board receive no compensation for their services. Additional information about the Clients' Security Board can be found at www.mass.gov/ClientsSecurityBoard/.

Office of Bar Counsel: The Office of Bar Counsel provides advice to attorneys on ethical issues and investigates grievances and prosecutes complaints before Hearing Committees, the Board of Bar Overseers, and the Supreme Judicial Court.

Since the last registration fee increase in September 1998, the Office of Bar Counsel implemented the Attorney and Consumer Assistance Program (ACAP). ACAP staff process all telephone calls and correspondence concerning the performance of attorneys, and attempt to resolve issues without opening formal complaints. Callers with more serious complaints are generally sent complaint forms and referred directly to an attorney in OBC. ACAP has reduced the time OBC takes to respond to contacts and has improved the quality of the response for both lawyers and the public. ACAP has also been successful in reducing the number of complaints received for investigation by OBC. OBC received 2,262 complaints for investigation in 1999, the year ACAP began. By FY2005, the number of ACAP contacts numbered 5,672 while complaints for investigation dropped to 928.

Responding to recommendations made by the Massachusetts Bar Association and the American Bar Association, the Office of Bar Counsel and Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers will establish a Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP) in Fiscal Year 2007. A LOMAP professional working for LCL will audit law office systems and provide training and advice for lawyers who need help regarding office management systems. Because deficient procedures often lead to misconduct that sometimes warrants discipline, in addition to providing training to lawyers in general, LOMAP may be a source for diversion from discipline or serve as an adjunct to discipline or reinstatement.

The website of the Office of Bar Counsel's is www.mass.gov/obcbbo/obc.htm.

Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers: Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers provides confidential counseling and referral services to attorneys, judges, law students, and their families regarding personal problems such as substance abuse, mental illness, and stress. During Fiscal Year 2007, LCL will work with the Office of Bar Counsel to implement the Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP). You can learn more about LCL at its website, www.lclma.org