The Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel files or appears in civil cases where trustees are needed to protect the clients of attorneys who are deceased, disabled, resigned, suspended, disbarred, inactive, or otherwise unable to practice.

The basic function of a volunteer trustee is to protect the interests of current clients, usually by notifying the clients of the attorneys incapacity, and forwarding their files to a successor counsel or returning the file to the client. The trustee may also be called upon to rectify the IOLTA account but may only disburse funds with court permission.

The number of cases requiring trustee appointments has risen over the past several years, and unfortunately there is a shortage of attorneys willing to serve as trustees. The Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel hopes to develop a comprehensive list of potential trustees from each judicial district, allowing the courts to appoint trustees who are located within the jurisdiction where the incapacitated attorney practiced, and who are familiar with the type of law that they practiced.

If you are interested in volunteering as a trustee, click here to fill out an information sheet.

The Connecticut Bar Foundation is accepting applications for grant funds. Grants must be used to provide funds to legal aid organizations in the state of Connecticut for foreclosure prevention legal assistance, and community redevelopment assistance.

The deadline for grant application and budget form submission is June 23. To obtain the application and budget form, please contact Connecticut Bar Foundation Assistant Director Liz Drummond at liz@cbf-1.org or visit ctbarfdn.org to download the application.