.0302 Conditions for Relinquishment

A member of the State Bar may petition the council to enter an order of relinquishment. An order of relinquishment shall be granted if the petition demonstrates that the following conditions have been satisfied: 

(a) Unresolved Complaints. No open, unresolved allegations of professional misconduct are pending against the petitioner in any jurisdiction. 

(b) No Financial Obligation to State Bar. The petitioner has paid all membership fees, Client Security Fund assessments, late fees, and costs assessed by the North Carolina State Bar or the Disciplinary Hearing Commission, and all fees, fines, and penalties owed to the Board of Continuing Legal Education.

(c) Wind Down of Law Practice. The petitioner has completed the wind down of his or her law practice in compliance with the procedure for winding down the law practice of a suspended or disbarred lawyer set forth in paragraphs (a), (b), and (e) of Rule .0128 of Subchapter 1B and with any other condition on the wind down of a law practice imposed by state, federal, and administrative law. The petition must describe the wind down of the law practice with specificity. 

(d) Acknowledgment. The petitioner acknowledges the following: the State Bar’s authority to take the actions described in Rule .0303 of this section; that the sole mechanism for regaining active membership status with the State Bar is to apply to the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners for admission and to satisfy all of the requirements to obtain a license to practice law in the state of North Carolina as if for the first time; and that he or she is not entitled to confidentiality under Rule .0133 of Subchapter 1B of any information relating to professional misconduct received by the State Bar after the date of the entry of the order of relinquishment. 

(e) Address. The petition includes a physical address at which the State Bar can communicate with the petitioner. 

(f) Notarized Petition. The petition is signed in the presence of a notary and notarized.

History Note: Statutory Authority G.S. 84-23

Adopted by the Supreme Court September 24, 2015