Summary
There are four agencies within the Judicial Branch:
- Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission (JIRC)
- Virginia Board of Bar Examiners (VBBE)
- Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission (VCSC)
- Virginia State Bar (VSB)
The JIRC investigates complaints of judicial misconduct or serious mental or physical disability of a justice or judge.
The VBBE ascertains the qualifications of applicants for admission to the Bar of Virginia and licenses those applicants.
The VSB regulates the legal profession of Virginia, advances the availability and quality of legal services provided to the people of Virginia, and assists in improving the legal profession and the judicial system. is charged with developing, maintaining and modifying a system of discretionary sentencing guidelines to assist the judiciary in the imposition of sentences.
OnAir Post: Judicial Agencies
About
Web Links
Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission
Source: Website
The JIRC investigates complaints of judicial misconduct or serious mental or physical disability of a justice or judge.
The website provides general information about the Commission, how to file a complaint, and how complaints are investigated.
Contact Information
- Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission
P.O. Box 367 Richmond, Virginia 23218-0367
Phone – (804) 786-6636
FAX – (804) 371-0650
Canons of Judicial Conduct for the State of Virginia
These Canons, which govern the conduct and actions of all justices and judges of the Commonwealth, retired judges and members eligible for recall to judicial service, substitute judges and special justices, judges pro tempore while acting as a judge pro tempore, and all members of the State Corporation Commission and Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission, can be found in Part 6, Section III of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Complaint Form
For use to file a complaint against a judge or justice
Rules of the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission
Rules governing proceedings before the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission
Virginia Board of Bar Examiners
Source: Website
The Virginia Board of Bar Examiners (“Board”) is an agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia. In addition, its statutory authority is found in § 54.1-3919 et seq. of the Code of Virginia. The Board is responsible for ascertaining the qualifications of applicants for admission to the Bar of Virginia and licensing those applicants who meet those requirements as established by the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Virginia General Assembly, and the Rules and Regulations issued by the Board.
Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission
Source: Website
The VCSC is charged with developing, maintaining and modifying a system of discretionary sentencing guidelines to assist the judiciary in the imposition of sentences.
Contact information:
VCSC
100 N. Ninth Street Richmond, VA 23219
VCSC HOTLINE
(804)225-4398
Fax (804)786-3934
EMAIL
carolyn.williamson@vcsc.virginia.gov
TEXT US
(804)393-9588
Virginia State Bar
Source: Website
The VSB regulates the legal profession of Virginia, advances the availability and quality of legal services provided to the people of Virginia, and assists in improving the legal profession and the judicial system.
The Virginia State Bar (VSB) was created in 1938 by the Virginia General Assembly as an administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia, unifying Virginia lawyers into a mandatory state bar.
The VSB is governed by its Council and Executive Committee, whose members are elected or appointed from every judicial circuit in the commonwealth. Appointed volunteer lawyers and nonlawyers make up the many VSB boards and committees.
The mission of the Virginia State Bar is (1) to protect the public, (2) to regulate the legal profession of Virginia, (3) to advance access to legal services, and (4) to assist in improving the legal profession and the judicial system.
All VSB activities relate to one or more of these four elements. The VSB is supported entirely by annual lawyer license fees, self-generated income, and volunteer service. It receives no tax dollars.
Primarily, the VSB:
- Enforces the rules and regulations that govern lawyer ethical behavior and the unauthorized practice of law;
- Disciplines lawyers who violate the rules;
- Regulates attorneys’ completion of mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE);
- Promotes access to legal services; and
- Advances diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
The VSB is separate from:
- the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners, which initially licenses attorneys to practice law in Virginia;
- the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, which deals with complaints about judges; and
- the Virginia Bar Association, which is an independent nonprofit that lawyers join voluntarily.
VSB membership statistics, updated monthly, show how many lawyers practice law in Virginia at any given time. The organizational chart shows the structure of its departments.
