Rule 201: Definitions

(a)   “Attorney” means a person described in Rule 202(a).

(b)   “Board” means the Kansas Board for Discipline of Attorneys appointed under Rule 204.

(c)   “Board proceeding” means a disciplinary or reinstatement matter pending before the Board.

(d)   “Case” means a disciplinary matter pending before the Kansas Supreme Court.

(e)   “Disciplinary administrator” means the disciplinary administrator, a member of the disciplinary administrator’s staff, or a person the disciplinary administrator designates to act on the disciplinary administrator’s behalf.

(f)   “Disciplinary board proceeding” means a disciplinary matter pending before the Board.

(g)   “Docketed complaint” means an initial complaint or a report that the disciplinary administrator dockets under Rule 208(c) for investigation under Rule 209.

(h)   “Exception” means a formal objection to a hearing panel’s finding of fact or conclusion of law.

(i)   “Final hearing report” means the report issued by a hearing panel following a hearing on a formal complaint, petition for reinstatement, or motion to revoke probation.

(j)   “Formal complaint” means the pleading filed by the disciplinary administrator to initiate a disciplinary board proceeding.

(k)   “Good standing” means an attorney’s license to practice law is not suspended for any reason; the attorney has not been disbarred; the attorney has not surrendered the attorney’s license; and the attorney is registered as active, inactive, disabled, or retired.

(l)   “Hearing panel” means the panel appointed under Rule 204.

(m)   “Initial complaint” means the information submitted on a form available from the disciplinary administrator and relied on by the disciplinary administrator to initiate an investigation.

(n)   “Misconduct” means an act or omission by an attorney, individually or with another person, that violates the Kansas Rules of Professional Conduct, the Rules Relating to Discipline of Attorneys, or the attorney’s oath of office.

(o)   “Petitioner” means an attorney who files a petition for reinstatement.

(p)   “Presiding officer” means the hearing panel member appointed by the Board chair to preside over a hearing on a formal complaint, petition for reinstatement, or motion to revoke probation and to speak on the hearing panel’s behalf.

(q)   “Reinstatement board proceeding” means a reinstatement matter pending before the Board.

(r)   “Report” means the information, other than an initial complaint, relied on by the disciplinary administrator to initiate an investigation.

(s)   “Respondent” means an attorney against whom an initial complaint is submitted or a report is made.

(t)   “Review committee” means the committee appointed by the Supreme Court under Rule 204.

(u)   “Serve” or “Service” means to deliver a document using a method specified under K.S.A. 60-205 unless otherwise specified in these rules.

(v)   “Writing” or “Written” means any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures on a tangible medium or stored in an electronic format.

[History: New rule adopted effective January 1, 2021.]