Ala. R. Disciplinary P. 33

(a) Lawyer to Bear Costs of Publication. In a case involving the imposition of

discipline consisting of disbarment, suspension, public probation, or public reprimand with

general publication, or the transfer of a lawyer to disability inactive status, notice shall be

published in the official Bar publication, on the official Alabama State Bar Web site, and

in a newspaper of general circulation in each judicial circuit of the State of Alabama in

which the disciplined or disabled lawyer maintained an office for the practice of law. The

costs of publishing the newspaper notice shall be assessed against the disciplined or

disabled lawyer. In a case involving the imposition of a reprimand, without general

publication, notice of such reprimand will be published only in the official Bar publication.

(b) Assessment of Research Fee and Recovery of Costs. The cost of

production, when photocopying or other document production is performed by the

Alabama State Bar for purposes of these Rules, shall be a commercially reasonable rate,

not to exceed $1.00 per page. In addition to reproduction charges, the Bar may charge a

reasonable fee incident to a request to review disciplinary records or for research into the

records of disciplinary proceedings and identification of documents to be produced. These

costs shall include a minimum research fee of $25.00 per request in addition to the costs

of reproduction.

(c) Production of Voluminous Documents. When the Bar is requested to

reproduce documents that are voluminous or is requested to produce transcripts in its

possession, the Bar may decline to reproduce the documents and shall inform the person

requesting the documents of the following options:

(1) Purchase the transcripts from the court reporter's service that produced

them;

(2) Purchase the documents from the third party from whom the Bar received

them; or

(3) Designate a commercial photocopy service to whom the Bar shall deliver

the original documents to be copied, at the requesting party's expense,

provided the photocopy service agrees to preserve and return the original

documents and not to release them to any person without the Bar's consent.

(d) Taxable Costs. Taxable costs of the proceeding shall include:

(1) Investigative costs, including travel and out-of-pocket expenses;

(2) Court reporter's fees;

(3) Copy costs;

(4) Telephone charges;

(5) Fees for translation services;

(6) Witness expenses, including mileage, per diem, and actual and necessary

expenses; provided, however, that witnesses may be compensated for

travel to and attendance at hearings only, and shall be compensated in the

same manner and at the then prevailing rate of compensation as provided

for instate travel for state employees and for mileage for state employees or

as otherwise directed by the Board of Bar Commissioners of the Alabama

State Bar;

(7) Expenses of a Disciplinary Hearing Officer, members of the Disciplinary

Board, and members of the Disciplinary Commission;

(8) Expenses incurred by the Office of General Counsel in the proceedings; and

(9) An administrative fee in the amount of $1,000.00 when costs are assessed

in favor of the Bar.

(e) Discretion to Award Costs. A Disciplinary Hearing Officer, the Disciplinary

Board, or the Disciplinary Commission shall each have discretion to award costs. Absent

an abuse of that discretion, such an award shall not be reversed.