Bar Counsel reports complaint rise, hiring setbacks; board opts to revise disciplinary webpage language

Bar Counsel Mark W. Gifford reported to the Wyoming State Bar Board on Nov. 7 that his office’s caseload had increased since his memo was prepared — from 100 complaints to 121 — and that the Deputy Bar Counsel position remains vacant after two candidates turned down offers.

Gifford described the Office of Bar Counsel’s confidentiality practices and the practical limits of investigations, noting that "most complaints do not merit an investigation." He said the hiring committee will reconvene to determine next steps after two offers were declined.

Separately, Executive Director Sharon Wilkinson revisited a prior discussion about separating the Office of Bar Counsel website from the Bar’s main site. Wilkinson reported the initial vendor estimate for a separate site was $16,400 and a later review reduced the estimate to $14,000. Commissioner Clayton M. Melinkovich questioned whether the expense still justified a separate site; the Board agreed that editing the disciplinary webpages’ language to clarify the Office of Bar Counsel’s role would address the optics without the additional hosting cost.

Why it matters: Staffing gaps in the disciplinary office and rising complaint numbers affect the Bar’s ability to process matters timely and preserve confidentiality. The Board directed staff to revise webpage language to better reflect the Office of Bar Counsel’s function and to continue the hiring process for Deputy Bar Counsel.

Next steps: The hiring committee will meet and identify follow-up steps for recruitment. Executive Director Wilkinson will coordinate the website language changes with the vendor and report back to the Executive Committee.