Opinion
Opinion Delivered May 3, 1993
By per curiam dated July 16, 1990, this court adopted revised rules of procedures entitled "Procedures of the Arkansas Supreme Court Regulating Professional Conduct of Attorneys At Law." Section 7 labeled "Sanctions" of those rules authorized the Professional Conduct Committee to temporarily transfer an attorney to inactive status for seven different reasons, one of which includes Section 7 G(1)(g) which reads, "Without cause, the attorney requests to be transferred to a voluntary inactive status." Prior to July 16, 1990, this voluntary inactive status had not been authorized. Section 8A of those revised rules provides for an annual license fee for each attorney "actively licensed" to practice law in this state; no mention was made of imposing a license fee upon an attorney who was allowed to go on voluntary inactive status.
By per curiam dated May 18, 1992, styled "IN THE MATTER OF THE BOARD OF LAW EXAMINERS," the court adopted rules governing admission to the Bar, and Rule VII of those rules duplicated the attorney license fee subject matter already contained in Section 8 of the Professional Conduct Committee's revised rules. Rule VII also failed to mention the imposition of a license fee upon an attorney on voluntary inactive status.
To avoid duplicity, the court hereby deletes Section 8 from the Procedures of the Arkansas Supreme Court Regulating Professional Conduct of Attorneys at Law, so licensing fees and related matters will be controlled only under Rule VII of the rules governing admission to this Bar adopted by the court on May 18, 1992. Provided, however, Rule VII A should provide for reduced license fees for attorneys on voluntary inactive status; therefore Rule VII A is amended to read as follows:
A. LICENSE FEE. An annual license fee as set by the court, from time to time, shall be imposed upon each attorney actively licensed to practice law in this State. An annual license fee in an amount equal to fifty per centum (50%) of the fee required of an actively licensed attorney is hereby imposed upon each attorney licensed in this State who has transferred to voluntary inactive status pursuant to subsection G.(1)(g) of Section 7 of the Procedures of the Arkansas Supreme Court Regulating Professional Conduct of Attorneys at Law. The fee shall be paid annually to the clerk of the Arkansas Supreme Court. The amount shall be payable January 1 of each year, and must be paid not later than March 1 of each year. Funds thus realized shall be used as ordered by the Supreme Court of the State of Arkansas.