§34-3-80. Establishment of procedural rules; procedure generally.

The Board of Commissioners shall establish rules governing procedure in cases involving alleged professional misconduct of members of the State Bar. The Grievance Committee of the Alabama State Bar or the Grievance Committee of a circuit, county, or city association, established or approved by the Alabama State Bar or its Board of Commissioners, shall have the power and authority to investigate any alleged professional misconduct of a member of the State Bar, whether or not charge or complaint therefor is made or referred to it, and to report its findings or recommendations to the Board of Commissioners, or to prefer complaint or charge thereon against the accused attorney-at-law before the Board of Commissioners for trial thereof, and to prosecute to decision the complaint or charge before the Board of Commissioners, and the duty is imposed upon the Board of Commissioners of considering such findings or recommendations and of hearing and determining such complaint or charge. Such grievance committee is hereby empowered to take testimony under oath in any such investigation, or the Board of Commissioners or such grievance committee may designate any person as commissioner to take testimony under oath in any such investigation whose compensation for the services so rendered may be fixed and ordered paid by the Board of Commissioners at its discretion. Such Board of Commissioners or any member thereof or such grievance committee or any member thereof shall not be required to give any security for costs and shall not be liable for any costs or damages to the accused attorney incident to such investigation, report, complaint, charge, prosecution, or trial. The Board of Commissioners may appoint counsel to prosecute before it any such complaint or charge so preferred before it against an attorney and may within its discretion fix and order paid reasonable compensation for the services so rendered by such counsel. It shall be the duty of the sheriff of the state or of any lawful officer thereof to serve such writs, subpoenas, or other papers in connection with the investigation, hearing and determining of such complaint or charge as may be placed in his or her hands by the Board of Commissioners or the grievance committee or any person designated hereunder as commissioner to take testimony in such investigation or any counsel appointed by the Board of Commissioners to prosecute before it such complaint or charge or the accused attorney or his or her attorney; such subpoenas, writs, or other papers hereunder may be served by sending copies thereof to the proper parties by registered or certified mail, and the return receipts of such writs, subpoenas, or other papers, signed by the party to be served, shall be construed to be as personal, sufficient, and legal service of all such writs, subpoenas, or other papers.

(Acts 1923, No. 133, p. 100, §14; Code 1923, §6233; Acts 1931, No. 597, p. 683, §1; Code 1940, T. 46, §33.)