(a) Disciplinary Enforcement. For misconduct defined in these rules, and
after notice of an opportunity to be heard, any attorney practicing before this Court may
be disbarred, suspended from practice, reprimanded, or subjected to such other
disciplinary action as the circumstances may warrant.
(b) Standards for Conduct. Acts or omissions by an attorney practicing
before this Court which violate the Code of Professional Responsibility adopted by this
Court shall constitute misconduct and shall be grounds for discipline, whether or not the
act or omission occurred in the course of an attorney-client relationship. The Code of
Professional Responsibility adopted by this Court is the Code of Professional
Responsibility adopted by the Supreme Court of North Carolina, as amended from time
to time by that state court, except as otherwise provided by a specific rule of this Court.
