Legal Definitions - public reprimand

A public reprimand is a form of disciplinary action that declares a lawyer's conduct improper but does not limit their right to practice law. It is a mild form of lawyer discipline that does not restrict their ability to practice law.

A private reprimand is an unpublished communication between a disciplinary agency and a wrongdoing attorney, admonishing the attorney about their improper conduct. Sometimes a published reprimand that does not identify the lawyer by name is considered a private reprimand.

A public reprimand is a published notice, usually appearing in a legal newspaper or bar journal, admonishing the attorney about their improper conduct and describing the impropriety for the benefit of other members of the legal profession.

An example of a public reprimand would be if a lawyer was found to have violated ethical rules by mishandling client funds. The disciplinary agency would issue a public notice in a legal newspaper or bar journal, admonishing the lawyer for their improper conduct and describing the violation for the benefit of other lawyers.