-
Recent Posts
- Tennessee judge is reprimanded for “liking” and “sharing” Facebook posts and articles on divisive social issues
- Florida woman who failed the Florida Bar examination and started fictitious law firm charged with federal felonies
- Pennsylvania lawyer disbarred after practicing law for 17 years while under administrative suspension
- Ransomware attack against South Florida digital record storage entity blocks law firm’s access to electronic records
- The client is missing and the statute of limitations expires soon: what can or must a lawyer do?
Recent Comments
Archives
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
Categories
- 2013 comprehensive Florida advertising rule revisions
- 2017 New Jersey Joint Ethics Opinion AVVO referral service violates Bar Rules
- 2018 Florida lawyer referral rule revisions matching services
- 2018 Florida lawyer referral rules qualifying providers
- 2018 New Jersey Supreme Court order denying review of 2017 AVVO joint ethics opinion
- 2018 proposed Florida RJA 2.505 revisions- stand-in covering substitute counsel
- 2018 revised Bar Rule- Florida Lawyer use of expert and specialist
- 2018 Utah rules permit non-lawyer limited practice
- 2019 California non-lawyer practice and ownership of law firms proposals
- 4-5.8 lawyers leaving law firms
- ABA Formal Ethics Opinion 481- lawyer required to advise current clients of material error
- ABA Formal Ethics Opinion 484- third party financing of attorneys fees
- ABA Formal Opinion 483- lawyer obligations before and after cyber hack or breach
- ABA Formal Opinion 487 division of fees in contingency matters when lawyer is replaced
- ABA Formal Opinion 487 division of fees in contingent matters when lawyer is replaced
- ABA formal opinion referral fees and conflict of interest
- ABA formal opinion securing confidential information sent over internet
- ABA Formal Opinion- use of former client confidentiality information generally known exception
- ABA Informal Opinion 1467- filing lawsuit when client is missing
- ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct
- ABA opinion 480- confidentiality and lawyer blogs and other public commentary
- ABA Opinion 488- judge recusal disqualification personal relationships
- ABA opinion lawyer's duties re receipt of subpoena for confidential documents information
- ABA opinions
- ABA Resolution 105 non-lawyer ownership of law firms
- ABA Resolutions
- Attorney discipline
- Attorney disobey order of tribunal
- Attorney disqualification
- Attorney disruptive conduct in litigation
- Attorney ethics
- Attorney Ethics sharing fees
- attorney-client privilege
- Attorney/client confidentiality
- Attorney/client privilege
- AVVO – BOG opinion that AVVO Advisors is a lawyer referral service
- AVVO Legal Advisor- termination of program/service
- Bar antitrust
- Bar rule prohibiting Google Ad words misdirection to another lawyer
- Bar Rules written fee agreements
- Board of Governors opinion approving charge of cost of litigation cost protection insurance to client
- California adopts ABA Model Rules
- California Bar Rules 2018
- California ethics opinion using improper document
- California ethics opinion using improperly obtained document
- California law requires split of lawyer regulation and trade association activities
- Chapter 23, Registered Online Services
- client false online statement libel
- client libel
- Client with disability
- Communication with client
- competence
- Confidential Information
- Confidentiality
- conflict of interest "hot potato" doctrine
- Conflict of interest criminal cases
- Conflict of interest current clients
- conflict of interest- former clients
- Contingency fees – lawyer retaining another lawyer or entity to resolve liens
- corsmeier
- Daparting lawyer and law firm ethical responsibilities
- deceit
- diligence
- dishonesty
- Disqualification
- e-mail with disparaging comments regarding spouse and opposing counsel
- Ethics and lawyer withdrawal
- Ethics and nonlawyer compensation
- Ethics Opinion AVVO Advisor
- Ethics opinion lawyer blogging
- Ethics opinion lawyers accepting bitcoin digital virtual currency
- Ethics opinion- protecting client confidentiality in border search
- Ethics opinion- protecting client confidentiality in search of digital device
- Ethics Opinions
- Ethics Opinions waivers of ineffective assistance and prosecutorial misconduct
- Ethics Opinions waivers of prosecutotial misconduct and ineffective assistance of counsel
- Excessive fee
- financial assistance to client
- Florida advertising "Ambulances Chase Us"
- Florida Bar discipline
- Florida Bar ethics
- Florida Bar ethics opinion 14-1- lawyer ethics and client social media pages
- Florida Bar Ethics Opinion 18-1- lawyer referral service qualifying provider payment
- Florida Bar Ethics Opinion 72-36- filing lawsuit when client is missing
- Florida Bar ethics opinion lawyer response to negative online review complaint and confidentiality
- Florida Bar ethics opinion qualifying provider – lawyer fees
- Florida Bar Opinion 16-1 financial assistance to client
- Florida Bar Opinion 18-1 payment to qualifying providers
- Florida Bar proposed Advertising Advisory Opinion
- Florida Bar proposed ethics advisory opinion lawyer electronic signatures
- Florida Bar proposed ethics opinion 17-2- qualifying provider- lawyer fees
- Florida Bar request for Florida Supreme Court TIKD UPL review
- Florida Bar rule 4-1.5 resolution of extraordinary liens in contingency cases
- Florida Bar rule 4-1.8(c) amended rule all gifts from clients prohibited
- Florida Bar rule 4-1.8(e) financial assistance to client
- Florida Bar Rule 4-3.1 frivolous filings
- Florida Bar Rule 4-3.4(b) payments and inducements to fact witnesses
- Florida Bar Rule 4-5.8 lawyers leaving law firms
- Florida Bar rule permitting lawyer to charge client with credit card fees
- Florida Bar Rule prohibiting misleading law firm information in advertisementss
- Florida Bar rule prohibiting misleading law firm information in all advertisements
- Florida Bar Rules
- Florida Bar Rules contingent fee agreements
- Florida Bar Rules diversion
- Florida Bar rules qualifying providers
- Florida Bar Rules Reporting Misconduct
- Florida Bar Rules trust account funds
- Florida Bar Rules Trust Accounts
- Florida Bar TIKD antitrust lawsuit
- Florida Bar- proposed rule would make finding of frivolous filing "conclusive determination" of Bar rule violation
- Florida Code for Reolving Professionalsim Complaints
- Florida Judge discipline
- Florida Judge ethics
- Florida Judicial Canons
- Florida lawyer 2017 mandatory technology CLE requirements and increase in hours and
- Florida lawyer advertising
- Florida lawyer advertising "411-PAIN"
- Florida lawyer advertising expert and specialist 2019 rule 4-7.14
- Florida lawyer advertising past results
- Florida lawyer cloud computing
- Florida Lawyer comprehensive advertising rule revisions
- Florida lawyer covering counsel proposed rules
- Florida lawyer discipline- referee requires Bar to pay accused lawyer costs
- Florida lawyer mandatory technology competence CLE
- Florida Lawyer Professionalsim
- Florida Lawyer Referral Services
- Florida lawyer trust accounts
- Florida proposed ethics advisory opinion- lawyer referral fees and lawyer matching services
- Florida proposed Ethics Opinion charging clients interest on advanced costs
- Florida Rules of Judicial Administration RJA
- Florida Statutes lawyer fiduciary privilege
- Florida Supreme Court
- Florida Supreme Court lawyer fiduciary privilege
- Florida Supreme Court opinion- Judge Facebook and social media friendship with lawyer not per se prohibited
- Florida Supreme Court opinions
- Florida Supreme Court rejection of Bar proposed rule amendment on resolution of extraordinary liens in contingency matters
- Florida Supreme Court Rule 4-3.4(b) payments and inducements to fact witnesses
- Florida unlicensed practice of law
- Florida voluntary online legal provider program
- former judge lawyer accepting gifts from counsel for opposing party
- fraud
- Impersonating lawyer criminal conviction and prison
- Indiana ethics opinion 18-1- AVVO Advisor violation of fee, referral and other Bar rules
- Ineffective Assistance of Counsel lawyer ethics
- joe corsmeier
- Joint New Jersey ethics opinion- AVVO legal services are improper fee sharing and referral fees
- joseph corsmeier
- Judge discipline Facebook
- Judge discipline likes and shares social media
- Judge disqualification
- Judge disqualification Facebook friends with lawyer
- judge disqualification Facebook friends with lawyer Florida Supreme Court
- Judge ethics and due process Facebook friends with litigant
- Judge recusal personal relationships
- Judicial candidate misconduct
- Judicial ethics accepting gifts from lawyers
- Judicial Ethics Facebook and LinkedIn
- judicial misconduct discipline
- Lawyer abuse of nonlawyer paralegal and attacks
- Lawyer abusive language and cursing in e-mail
- Lawyer abusive language and cursing in e-mail to Bar lawyer
- Lawyer access to juror social media and digital internet presence
- Lawyer advertisements Google AdWords misdirection
- Lawyer advertising
- Lawyer advertising actors reading testimonials
- Lawyer advertising and soliciation text messages
- Lawyer advertising and solicitation
- Lawyer advertising and solicitation APRL report
- Lawyer advertising and solicitation text messages
- Lawyer advertising and solicitation twitter
- lawyer advertising expert and specialist
- Lawyer advertising judicial opinion excerpts on website
- Lawyer advertising on Linkedin.com
- lawyer advertising past results
- Lawyer advertising rules federal lawsuit
- Lawyer advertising specialization and expertise
- Lawyer advertising testimonials
- Lawyer allegedly killing mother
- lawyer antitrust
- Lawyer arbitrator discipline
- lawyer blogs
- Lawyer blogs advertising
- lawyer blogs false statements
- lawyer certification
- Lawyer charge cost of litigation cost protection to client
- Lawyer charging client with credit card fees
- Lawyer charging interest to clients on advanced costs
- Lawyer cloud computing
- Lawyer conduct adversely affecting fitness to practice
- Lawyer conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice
- Lawyer conduct that adversely reflects on fitness to practice
- Lawyer conflict of interest
- Lawyer conflict of interest positional conflicts
- Lawyer conflict of interest relationship with witness
- Lawyer contingency agreements
- Lawyer conversion of client trust funds
- Lawyer criminal misconduct
- Lawyer criminal misconduct sexual abuse of client by hypnotism
- Lawyer derogatory comments to nonpaying client in e-mail
- lawyer digital document storage
- Lawyer disbarment
- lawyer disbarment burglary and theft
- Lawyer disbarment for practicing while suspended
- Lawyer disbarment forging court order
- Lawyer disbarment stealing and using cocaine as judge
- Lawyer disbarment theft of client funds
- Lawyer disbarment trust account violations
- Lawyer discipline conviction of passing contraband to client in jail
- Lawyer discipline criminal conviction battery chest bump
- Lawyer discipline criminal misconduct
- Lawyer discipline false billings
- lawyer discipline for failure to respond to Bar inquiry
- Lawyer discipline for willful and flagrant failure to pay child support
- Lawyer discipline forging court order
- Lawyer discipline improper and inflated fees
- Lawyer discipline lying to law firm suspension
- Lawyer discipline sanctions for failure to appear at hearing
- Lawyer discipline sexting texting with client
- lawyer discipline social media misconduct- creating false dating site profile on opposing counsel
- Lawyer discipline trust account violations
- Lawyer discipline- Bar required to pay attorney's costs
- Lawyer discipline- Bar's costs denied by referee
- lawyer disciplinefor failure to disclose client’s death while continuing to litigate matter
- Lawyer discovery disclosure sanctions
- Lawyer disloyalty to client and law firm
- Lawyer dismissal of complaint
- Lawyer dismissed complaint
- lawyer disparaging other lawyers and judges in pleadings
- Lawyer disqualification
- Lawyer disruption of tribunal
- Lawyer divorce contingent fee discipline
- Lawyer duties to replace hacked trust account funds
- Lawyer e-filing confidentiality breach sanctions
- Lawyer escrow accounts
- Lawyer ethical duties when receives earned fee subject to fee sharing arrangement
- Lawyer ethical obligations regarding third party funding of attorneys fees and litigation
- Lawyer Ethics
- Lawyer ethics and social media
- Lawyer ethics AVVO and matching services- fee splitting and sharing
- Lawyer ethics business transactions with clients
- Lawyer ethics Facebook
- Lawyer ethics opinion anonymous contact with unnamed internet defamer
- Lawyer ethics opinion impaired lawyers
- Lawyer ethics opinion Linkedin.com
- Lawyer ethics opinions
- Lawyer ethics opinions Avvo – improper fee splitting and referral fees
- Lawyer ethics opinions blogs and advertising
- Lawyer ethics opinions cloud computing
- Lawyer ethics payments to fact witnesses
- Lawyer ethics- AVVO lawyer independent professional judgment
- Lawyer expense reimbursement
- lawyer failure to communicate
- Lawyer failure to communicate with client
- lawyer failure to disclose client’s death while continuing to litigate matter
- Lawyer failure to provide closing statement PIP cases
- Lawyer failure to supervise non lawyer theft of trust funds disbarment
- Lawyer failure to supervise non-lawyers
- lawyer failure to supervise non-lawyers re trust account suspension and permanent ban on supervision of trust accounts
- lawyer false fee liens
- Lawyer false statements
- Lawyer false statements on Facebook
- Lawyer false statements to client
- Lawyer fee agreements
- lawyer felony suspension and reinstatement nunc pro tunc after criminal conviction reversed
- lawyer fiduciary privilege
- Lawyer filing false documents
- Lawyer Florida IOTA trust accounts rule 5-1.1 credit unions permitted
- Lawyer fraud
- Lawyer Groupon marketing
- Lawyer hijacking former firm’s e-mail accounts and making disparaging comments on Facebook
- Lawyer improper access to opposing party Facebook
- Lawyer improper access to opposing party social media
- Lawyer improper ex parte contact with judge
- Lawyer impugning judge's qualifications or integrity
- Lawyer including client confidential psychiatric records in public record malpractice lawsuit
- Lawyer IOTA trust accounts
- Lawyer lack of competence
- lawyer lack of diligence
- Lawyer leaving law firm
- Lawyer lien resolution
- Lawyer litigation costs
- Lawyer misappropriation of funds
- Lawyer misconduct 6 month suspension for brandishing gun at deposition and disparaging comments
- Lawyer misconduct disparaging and improper comments
- Lawyer misconduct false court documents
- Lawyer misconduct false statements
- lawyer misconduct in closing argument
- Lawyer misconduct jail sentence
- Lawyer misconduct marijuana advice incompetence and misrepresentation
- Lawyer misconduct representing self in divorce
- Lawyer misconduct smuggling contraband into prison for client
- Lawyer misconduct while representing self in divorce proceeding
- Lawyer misleading law firm information advertisements
- Lawyer misrepresentation
- lawyer negligence
- Lawyer non compete in employment agreement
- Lawyer obligations before and after cyber breach or hack
- lawyer permanent disbarment
- Lawyer positional conflict of interest
- Lawyer practicing l;aw while suspended
- Lawyer practicing without license
- Lawyer prepring false documents
- Lawyer Professional Responsibility
- Lawyer professionalism
- Lawyer puffery
- Lawyer punitive separation agreeement with associate
- lawyer ransomware attack
- Lawyer readmission denial
- lawyer referral fees
- Lawyer referral fees legal malpractice
- Lawyer referral fees void under Chandris
- Lawyer Referral Services
- Lawyer referral services 2016 proposed revisions
- Lawyer relationship with witness and lying about it
- Lawyer required to advise current clients of material error- ABA opinion
- Lawyer restriction on right to practice in employment agreement
- lawyer revealing confidential information in motion to withdraw
- Lawyer revealing confidential information on internet in response to complaint
- Lawyer sanctions
- Lawyer sanctions alcohol/substance abuse
- Lawyer sanctions disbarment
- Lawyer sanctions disclosure of confidential documents
- Lawyer sanctions false client billings
- Lawyer sanctions for failing to advise clients of suspension
- Lawyer sanctions for revealing confidential information
- Lawyer sanctions for unlicensed practice of law
- Lawyer sanctions frivolous filing
- Lawyer sanctions Instagram
- Lawyer sanctions lying in court and Instagram vacation photos
- Lawyer sanctions personal misconduct
- Lawyer sanctions revealing client confidences to lawyer with romantic relationship
- Lawyer sanctions stealing from law firm
- Lawyer second opinions
- Lawyer sex with client discipline
- Lawyer sex with clients in jail disbarment
- Lawyer sexual abuse of clients
- Lawyer sharing fees with non-lawyers
- lawyer social media ethics and discipline
- Lawyer soliciting or accepting gifts
- lawyer stealing and using cocaine as judge
- Lawyer submitting false document in disciplinary investigation
- lawyer suing client for false online statements
- Lawyer supervision of clients
- Lawyer suspension criminal conviction passing contraband
- Lawyer suspension for “excessively aggressive” and threatening conduct
- Lawyer suspension stealing fees from law firm
- Lawyer suspension/discipline alleged sexual misconduct
- Lawyer technology competence
- lawyer technology competence- scams and ransomware attacks
- Lawyer testamentary gifts from clients
- Lawyer trust account discipline
- Lawyer trust account ethics
- Lawyer trust account scams
- Lawyer trust accounts
- lawyer unreasonable fee
- Lawyer use of expert and specialist
- Lawyer violation of confidentiality on internet
- lawyer waiver of costs
- lawyer waiver of costs financial assistance to client
- Lawyer websites
- Lawyer websites hidden text
- Lawyer websites SEO and metatags
- Lawyer withdrawal
- Lawyer written fee agreements
- Lawyer/client confidentiality
- Lawyers accepting bitcoin digital virtual currency
- Lawyers and bitcoin
- Lawyers and social media
- Lawyers and virtual digital currency
- Legal malpractice
- Legal malpractice expert witness
- Legal malpractice negligence
- Legal malpractice sufficiency of evidence and standard of care
- LegalForce v LegalZoom UPL and deceptive advertising federal lawsuit
- Mandatory arbitration Bar Rule 4-1.5(i)
- Mandatory arbitration clause in fee agreement unenforceable as violation of Rule 4-1.5(i)
- Metadata
- Metadata Lawyer Ethics
- Misrepresentations regarding CLE completion
- Motion to Disqualify Facebook friends
- Nebraska ethics opinion lawyers accepting bitcoin
- negligence
- New York ethics opinion- AVVO legal services improper fee sharing, referral fees, and recommendations
- non-lawyer limited practice
- Non-lawyer ownership of law firms
- Non-lawyer practice of law
- Nonlawyer bonuses and pension plans
- nonrefundable fees
- North Caroline federal opinion on regulation of UPL
- Payments to fact witnesses
- privilege prohibition of inquiries into lawyer/doctor referral relationships
- Prosectorial misconduct
- Prosecutor disbarment for posting anonymous inflammatory comments on internet
- Prosecutor misconduct
- Prosecutorial misconduct disciplinary sanctions
- Prosecutorial misconduct eavesdropping on attorney client conversations
- Prosecutorial misconduct lawyer ethics
- Punitive damages
- Rule 4-5.8 amendment to comment 2018
- Rule 8.4(h) conduct adversely affecting fitness to practice
- Sanctions inadvertent disclousre fo confidential documents
- TIKD antitrust lawsuit Florida Bar motion for sanctions
- TIKD Florida Bar petition w Florida Supreme Court re UPL
- TIKD motion for sanctions
- TIKD Unlicensed Practice of Law Florida
- TIKD US DOJ Statement of Interest
- Uncategorized
- Unlicensed practice of law
- UPL federal mail and identity fraud
- UPL fraud impersonating lawyer
- UPL North Carolina antitrust
- UPL Zlien Ohio complaint
- UPL, unauthorized practice of law, unlicensed practice of law, U.S. Constitution professional speech
- USSC North Carolina dental antitrust case
- Utah pilot program permitting non-traditional legal services, including non-lawyer firm ownership
- Virginia Ethics Opinion duties related to impaired lawyers
- Virginia revised advertising rules 2017
Meta
Florida lawyer suspended for hijacking former firm’s e-mail accounts and making disparaging comments on Facebook
Hello everyone and welcome to this Ethics Alert which will discuss recent Florida Supreme Court Order suspending a lawyer for, inter alia, hijacking his former firm’s e-mail accounts and making disparaging comments on Facebook. The Supreme Court Order is here: 9/20/18 Florida Supreme Court Order-Paul Green
According to the report of referee, which is here: 8/20/18 Green Report of Referee, the lawyer was alleged to have retaliated against his former law firm after he was terminated by hijacking the firm’s e-mail account, posting false and disparaging comments on Facebook about the lawyer who fired him, and communicating inappropriately with a client.
The referee’s report states that the lawyer was fired from his law firm after he used the firm credit card for personal matters, took unauthorized draws from the firm, missed work and took vacations without discussing them with the owner of the firm, made political comments on the firm’s Facebook page, and wrote a derogatory text message about his wife’s lawyer during his divorce. The lawyer’s text said: “Tell Dana Price I hope she dies of dirty Jew AIDS.”
After being terminated, the lawyer changed the password to his former firm’s e-mail accounts and, when the firm turned off the lawyer’s telephones, he agreed to restore the e-mail access only if the firm turned his telephones back on. After this occurred, however, the lawyer again blocked the firm’s access to e-mail and directed the e-mails to himself.
The lawyer also posted to the law firm’s Facebook page falsely claiming that the firm owner had been “Baker Acted”, a reference to the Florida law related involuntary commitments when a person has a mental condition which poses a danger to that person or to others. The lawyer’s Facebook post also said the letters sent by the former law firm to firm clients that the firm’s e-mails were hacked were untrue.
According to the referee’s report:
“On or about September 5, 2017, Respondent posted the following on Parker & Green, P.A.’s Facebook page:
If you’re wondering what’s going on…Patricia Parker was Baker Acted last Saturday. She has sent letters to all of you clients saying everything was hacked. It wasn’t but please be careful if you decide to go with the law office of Patricia L. Parker. Nothing was hacked but she is trying to get off her suicidal thoughts and is convincing clients she is ok. Don’t worry, my email still works and I am working with the Florida Bar to make sure she gets the help she needs. If you are a client, do not pay a bill until the Florida Bar decides what they will be doing with Ms. Parker. Any correspondence by Alix Diaz who has hacked email accounts owned by Mr. Green, should also be taken with a degree of skepticism. She’s been off her meds for a few months and things have finally taken their toll. I think her impending divorce to her husband for infidelity is part of the problem. If you’re trying to reach Mr. Green, he can still be reached at pgreen@itspersonaljax.com as he owns the domain and website.”
“A short time later in a second post on the firm’s page, Respondent stated:
Everyone should make sure their loved ones don’t need any mental help. Please check. If your brother, sister, father, mother, or business partner threaten to commit suicide … please get them help, before they hurt someone, themselves, or a trusted client. Luckily, Mr. Green doesn’t have that problem. pgreen@itspersonaljax.com.”
The lawyer told the false Baker Act story to a firm client he saw at Everbank Field in Jacksonville. He also said that the other lawyer in the firm had violated ethics rules and that he would finish the client’s case for free if she would make a statement about the other lawyer. He also told the client he would like to get together for drinks to discuss the case. The lawyer sent numerous texts to the client; however, she did not respond and she subsequently filed a Florida Bar complaint against the lawyer. After the client filed her Bar complaint, the lawyer approached her while she was working as a bartender, slammed his hand down on the bar and said, “Good luck with that complaint.”
The referee recommended a 60 day suspension, a requirement that the lawyer contact Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc. (FLA, Inc.) within 30 days for an evaluation and comply with all requirements of the evaluation, including an FLA, Inc. contract if one is recommended, and payment of the Bar and FLA costs. The Florida Supreme Court Order adopted the findings of the referee and suspended the lawyer for 60 days with the recommended conditions.
Bottom line: This is a lawyer who engaged in improper conduct while with a law firm and then apparently went out of control after being terminated, including posting disparaging comments on social media. The Court has suspended the lawyer for 60 days and required that he undergo an evaluation through FLA, Inc. and, if recommended, to comply with any and all treatment requirements in an FLA contract.
Be careful out there.
Disclaimer: this Ethics Alert is not an advertisement, does not contain any legal advice, and does not create an attorney/client relationship and the comments herein should not be relied upon by anyone who reads it.
Joseph A. Corsmeier, Esquire
Law Office of Joseph A. Corsmeier, P.A.
29605 U.S. Highway 19, N., Suite 150
Clearwater, Florida 33761
Office (727) 799-1688
Fax (727) 799-1670
jcorsmeier@jac-law.com
www.jac-law.com
Share this:
Like this:
Related
About jcorsmeier
Joseph A. Corsmeier is an “AV” rated attorney practicing in Clearwater, Florida. He concentrates his practice primarily in the areas of defense of attorney disciplinary matters before The Florida Bar, attorney admission matters before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, and professional license and disciplinary matters before the Boards of the State of Florida. He provides expert analysis and opinion on conflict of interest and other attorney disqualification and legal malpractice issues and he testified as an expert in the Florida courts. He served as an Assistant State Attorney in the Sixth Judicial Circuit from 1986 to 1990 where he prosecuted felonies exclusively from June 1987, and as Bar Counsel for The Florida Bar’s Department of Lawyer Regulation from 1990 to 1998. He also practices in the areas of estate planning and Medicaid qualification, workers’ compensation, and labor law. Mr. Corsmeier is the author of numerous articles for various bar publications, has spoken at numerous local and statewide seminars on various topics, including ethics and professionalism, and was an instructor of legal ethics for paralegals at Rollins College until the Tampa campus closed. He received his undergraduate degree from Florida State University and his J.D. from Mercer University. He is admitted to practice in all Florida Courts, the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the Middle District of Florida. He is a member of The Florida Bar, American Bar Association, the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, and the Clearwater and St. Petersburg Bar Associations.