Complaints About Lawyers & Judges – How To File A Complaint Against A Lawyer in NY

If you believe a lawyer may have violated the Rules of Professional Conduct, you can write a letter to the appropriate Committee or fill out and submit a form available from their websites.

The form or letter should be as clear, specific and detailed as possible when explaining your complaint. The materials in your complaint should include the names, phone numbers and addresses of you and your attorney as well as copies of any pertinent documents, papers, and other information connected to the complaint. After a complaint is filed, it may be updated with new evidence. If new evidence becomes available after a complaint is dismissed, the complainant may ask that the complaint be re-evaluated.

If the lawyer’s office is located in Manhattan or The Bronx, a complainant should contact:

Departmental Disciplinary Committee
Supreme Court, Appellate Division
First Judicial Department
61 Broadway, 2nd Floor
New York, New York 10006
(212) 401-0800, fax: (212) 401-0810

The Disciplinary Committee’s complaint form can be found here.

If your lawyer’s office is located in Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island, the appropriate committee is:

Grievance Committee for the
Second, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Judicial Districts (Kings, Queens, and Richmond Counties)
Renaissance Plaza
335 Adams Street Suite 2400
Brooklyn, New York 11201
(718) 923-6300

The Grievance Committee’s complaint form can be found here.