6/24/05

Dawn Miller is the State Bar of Michigan's (SBM) new director of Professional Standards. In her position, she will oversee the State Bar's Character and Fitness process as well as the Client Protection Fund, Ethics Hotline, the Unauthorized Practice of Law Department, the Law Referral program, and the Lawyers and Judges Assistance Programs.

Prior to joining the SBM, she worked for the State Bar of Texas for 18 years, serving in the last five years as the Texas Bar's first Chief Disciplinary Counsel, administering the attorney disciplinary system. In that capacity, she managed ten offices statewide, serving the public and the lawyers of Texas, and reporting to the Commission for Lawyer Discipline, a standing committee of the State Bar of Texas charged with oversight of the grievance system. Before that, she served in various capacities handling disciplinary litigation statewide.

Miller received her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1981. Her undergraduate education was at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Miller is on the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Bar Counsel. She is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Young Lawyers Association and a past president of the Walker County Bar Association. She speaks and writes frequently in the areas of ethics, professionalism, and disciplinary procedure.