Department of Justice Information on the Office of Professional Responsibility's Operations
Abstract
The Department of Justice (Justice) states that its attorneys should be held to the highest ethical standards. Members of Congress, judges, and the media have voiced concerns about the professionalism and conduct of certain Justice attorneys over the past several years. Concerns have also been raised about the process for holding Justice's attorneys accountable to ethical standards. Because of these concerns, you asked us to review Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), which is responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct involving Justice attorneys relating to the exercise of the attorneys' authority to investigate, litigate, or provide legal advice. This report responds to your request that we determine: * how OPR conducts its inquiries into allegations of misconduct by Justice attorneys; * to what extent OPR's workload, as well as budget, have changed; * the possible range of disciplinary actions and procedures if employee misconduct is found; * OPR's oversight relationship with similar offices in other Justice components; and the degree to which OPR has implemented our prior recommendations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA381812
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office