Attorneys

An attorney may be used in Title IV procedures as a consultant, investigator, or representative of parties such as the Respondent and by the church. This section of the website does not cover the duties and best practices of the Church Attorney, rather those attorneys who are normally brought in by participants. Most frequently, it is the Respondent who obtains legal counsel. An attorney for the Respondent is most likely employed in secular law disciplines and generally has limited understanding of the Title IV Canons and process.

The attorney will discover that Title IV is not secular law. It is not a disciplinary procedure with an outcome of winning or losing as a goal. Title IV, Canon 1 states, in part, the Church and each diocese seek to resolve conflicts by promoting healing, repentance, forgiveness, restitution, justice, amendment of life and reconciliation among all involved or affected. (Title IV.1) Therefore, it requires a different legal frame of reference and skill set than is used in criminal or civil law.

The Rt. Rev. Michael Buerkel Hunn has been involved in Title IV cases for years and in the training of Title IV officers. He says even Episcopalians who practice law discover they need to change from their usual legal mindset about disciplinary procedures.

The Rt. Rev. Michael Buerkel Hunn, Bishop of the Diocese of Rio Grande

Attorney Pauline Getz is the former chair of the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution & Canons of The Episcopal Church, which has reviewed the canons of the church, including Title IV, for several years. She recommends embracing the challenge to learn a new body of law.

Pauline Getz, Esq., Former Chair, Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution & Canons of The Episcopal Church

Executive Council of The Episcopal Church member Alexizendria Link says Christian beliefs define Title IV, not traditional judicial law.

Alexandria Link, Educator and member of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church

Another misconception is that Title IV is similar to secular employment law. Attorney Sally Johnson, Esq., is the Chancellor to the President of the House of Deputies and one of the original authors of much of Title IV. She says attorneys new to this process must understand that Title IV is not an employment decision.

Sally Johnson, Esq., Chancellor to the President of the House of Deputies

If retained as a Respondent’s attorney, best practices point to gathering all that is available in the largely transparent proceeding. The process starts with the intake report, which is shared with the Respondent once there is a determination that, if true, an offense rises to a Title IV level. Attorney Pauline Getz, is an authority on the legal protocol of the Title IV Canons and is the former Chair of the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution & Canons of The Episcopal Church.

Pauline Getz, Esq., Former Chair, Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution & Canons of The Episcopal Church

Experienced Title IV facilitators and Disciplinary Board members say best practices suggest a proceeding that has reached the Conference Panel stage is a critical time for an attorney to leave his or her courtroom strategies at home. The Rt. Rev. Michael Hunn, Bishop of Rio Grande, has prior experience training Title IV officers to be part of the canonical process. He reaffirms that the Conference Panel is not a trial.

The Rt. Rev. Michael Buerkel Hunn, Bishop of the Diocese of Rio Grande

Bishop Hunn says even the staging of a Conference Panel room is important. It should not look like a secular trial court.

The Rt. Rev. Michael Buerkel Hunn, Bishop of the Diocese of Rio Grande