In its 2018 fiscal year report, the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland reported the following facts:
1. The number of licensed attorneys in Maryland increased slightly from 39,890 to 40,300.
2. The Office of Bar Counsel received 1,802 complaints, the lowest number of complaints received in ten years. Of the 254 docketed complaints, 60 were for attorneys in Montgomery County, 41 from Prince George’s County, 26 from Baltimore City, 24 from Baltimore County, 16 from Anne Arundel County, and 16 from Howard County.
3. Bar Counsel docketed 254 matters for further investigation, a slight decrease from FY 2017 when 272 matters were docketed.
4. The number of sanctioned attorneys fell from 93 to 65. The number of sanctioned attorneys is significantly lower than the ten-year average for all sanctions: approximately 82 per year.
5. While suspensions, numbering 20, were consistent with the ten-year average of 20.6, the numbers of disbarments, 26, and reprimands, 16, were significantly lower than the ten-year averages.
