Lawyers are professionals. The overwhelming majority are honest, dedicated and hardworking individuals. But, as in any profession or business, there are some rotten apples. If you feel your lawyer is not trustworthy or not working towards your best interests, there are mechanisms available to you to air your grievances.

If you believe you have a valid complaint about how your lawyer is acting, or has acted, inform the organization that grants or withholds licenses to practice law in your state.

Each state has a different organization that reviews complaints against attorneys. In many states, a division of the courts handles these complaints. This is typically referred to as the disciplinary board. Some states rely on their state bar associations to discipline their lawyers. You can find out where to send attorney complaints by looking online for your state’s court system website. If they review complaints against lawyers, there will usually be a link with instructions on how to file.

Filing a complaint, or grievance, against is lawyer is different from filing a legal malpractice lawsuit, which is a court case to recover damages based on an attorney’s mistake or misconduct in a legal matter. For such a case, you will want to consult with a legal malpractice lawyer.

Here is the link for information on filing a complaint against a lawyer in New York.
https://www.nycourts.gov/courts/ad2/attorneymatters_ComplaintAboutaLawyer.shtml

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