To file a complaint against an attorney in Indiana, complete the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission’s “Request for Investigation” form and submit it online, by email, or by mail. There is no fee.1Indiana Judicial Branch. File a Complaint Against a Lawyer The Commission investigates whether the lawyer violated the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct and, if the evidence supports it, pursues discipline through the Indiana Supreme Court.
What Counts as Attorney Misconduct
Your grievance has to allege a violation of the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct, the ethical standards binding every licensed Indiana lawyer.1Indiana Judicial Branch. File a Complaint Against a Lawyer The most common allegations involve a lawyer who stopped communicating, neglected the case, or failed to act with reasonable diligence.2Indiana Court Rules. Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct – Rule 1.3 Diligence Other frequently reported issues include mishandling client funds by depositing them into a personal account instead of a trust account, representing a client despite a conflict of interest, or lying to the court.
The test is whether the conduct broke a specific ethical rule, not whether you got the outcome you wanted. Rudeness, a losing verdict, or disagreement with strategy usually will not support a grievance on their own.
What the Commission Will Not Do for You
The Disciplinary Commission enforces ethics rules. It cannot award you money, refund your fees, or resolve a civil dispute with your lawyer. Two situations regularly send people to the Commission when a different process is the right one.
Fee Disputes
A billing disagreement, by itself, is generally not an ethics violation. The Indiana State Bar Association runs an Attorney Fee Dispute Resolution Program that arbitrates disputes between attorneys and clients, and several local bar associations run similar programs.3Indiana State Bar Association. Attorney Fee Dispute Resolution Policies and Procedures Arbitration is the right route if you think the fee itself was unreasonable. A grievance can still be appropriate where the billing conduct itself crosses an ethical line, such as fabricated billable hours or refusing to return your file until you pay a disputed invoice.
Legal Malpractice
A disciplinary grievance and a malpractice lawsuit are separate processes. A grievance asks the state to investigate and potentially sanction the attorney. A malpractice suit is a civil case you file in court to recover money you lost because of the lawyer’s negligence. You can pursue both, but the Commission will not compensate you for your losses, and a malpractice suit does not result in discipline. Each path has to be pursued on its own.
The Request for Investigation Form and Supporting Documents
The form is called the “Request for Investigation” and is available on the Commission’s website. You can also request a printed copy by calling the Commission at (317) 232-1807.1Indiana Judicial Branch. File a Complaint Against a Lawyer It asks for the attorney’s full name and address and a detailed, chronological account of what happened. Focus the narrative on the specific conduct you believe was unethical.
Gather supporting documents before you send anything in. Useful materials include your fee agreement or engagement letter, correspondence with the attorney (emails, letters, text messages), court filings from your case, and financial records such as billing statements, payment receipts, or trust account statements. You will also need the court case number and the county where the case was filed, if applicable.
Send copies only. The Commission does not return original documents, and staff cannot provide you with copies later.4Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. Request for Investigation
Three Ways to Submit
You have three options for filing the completed Request for Investigation:
- Online, by completing and submitting the form directly on the Commission’s website. Save a copy of the final PDF for your records.1Indiana Judicial Branch. File a Complaint Against a Lawyer
- By email, to DCGrievance@courts.in.gov with the form and attachments.4Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. Request for Investigation
- By mail, to the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission, 251 N. Illinois Street, Suite 500, Indianapolis, IN 46204.1Indiana Judicial Branch. File a Complaint Against a Lawyer
Indiana does not charge any fee to file a grievance.
What Happens After You File
The Commission’s Executive Director conducts a preliminary review to decide whether your allegations, taken at face value, describe conduct that would violate the Rules of Professional Conduct. You will receive written acknowledgment that the Commission has your grievance.
After that review, one of three things happens:5Indiana Court Rules. Indiana Rules for Admission to the Bar and the Discipline of Attorneys – III Specific Procedures – Section 10 Investigatory Procedures
- Dismissal, if the grievance does not raise a substantial question of misconduct. Both you and the attorney get written notice. There is no formal appeal available to the complainant.
- A caution letter to the attorney for less severe violations, describing the alleged conduct and requiring specific corrective action by a deadline. Compliance closes the matter.
- A full investigation, in which the Executive Director sends your grievance to the attorney by certified mail and demands a written response.
The attorney has 30 days to respond, extendable to a total of 60 days by the Executive Director. Anything longer requires good cause.5Indiana Court Rules. Indiana Rules for Admission to the Bar and the Discipline of Attorneys – III Specific Procedures – Section 10 Investigatory Procedures An attorney who ignores the demand risks suspension for noncooperation.6Indiana Courts. A Procedural Guide for Attorney Discipline Cases
If the investigation supports misconduct, the Commission files a formal disciplinary complaint with the Indiana Supreme Court. A hearing officer is appointed to preside, hear evidence, and recommend a sanction. The Supreme Court makes the final decision, and the possible discipline ranges from a private reprimand or public reprimand through short and longer suspensions (with or without probation) up to permanent disbarment.6Indiana Courts. A Procedural Guide for Attorney Discipline Cases
Confidentiality, Timeline, and Federal Cases
Everything before a formal complaint is filed with the Supreme Court stays confidential, including your grievance and the Commission’s investigative work.6Indiana Courts. A Procedural Guide for Attorney Discipline Cases The attorney’s public record is not affected by a grievance that lacks merit. Once formal charges are filed, the proceedings and papers become public.
The Commission has 12 months from receiving your grievance to complete its investigation and take action. If it does not file a formal complaint in that window, the grievance is automatically dismissed, though the Supreme Court can grant more time and delays caused by the attorney’s noncooperation or extension requests do not count against the clock.5Indiana Court Rules. Indiana Rules for Admission to the Bar and the Discipline of Attorneys – III Specific Procedures – Section 10 Investigatory Procedures There is no deadline for you to file in the first place; Indiana’s rules do not set a statute of limitations on reporting attorney misconduct.
If the conduct occurred in a federal court case, filing with the state commission alone may not be enough. Federal courts run their own attorney discipline systems, and a grievance about conduct in a federal case can typically be filed with the chief judge of the U.S. District Court where the case was heard. The two processes are independent, each court can impose its own sanctions, and a suspension or disbarment in one system can trigger reciprocal discipline in the other.