The Florida Bar
and
Lawyer Regulation
THE FLORIDA BAR
Sources
From A to Z, The Florida Bar is your one-stop source for everything you need to
know about the legal profession.
• The President of The Florida Bar
• Board of Governors
• Board Certified Lawyers - Legal Experts/Interview Sources by Judicial Circuit
• Board Certified Lawyers by Certification Area
• Lawyer Conduct - Disciplinary Statistics
• Judicial Nominating Commission Member List
• Law on the Internet - Sources compiled by Neil Skene for the Reporters'
Workshop
• Legal Divisions, Branch Offices and Staff
• Master Calendar of Events
• Media & Communications Law Committee
• Media Directory of Law School Academic Experts
• Open Government Contact List
• Overview of The Florida Bar Discipline System
• Sections and Divisions
• Sources of Authority and Guidance Regarding Political Activity by Judges and
Judicial Campaigns
• Standing Committees
Media Contacts
Contact the Public Information Department for all your legal reporting needs from 8 a.m.
until 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Media Line: (850) 561-5666
• Florida Bar Issues and Official Positions/Comments:
Francine Walker (850) 561-5762
• Legal Experts, Lawyer Discipline/Disciplinary History and General
Inquiries:
Zannah Lyle (850) 561-5669
Karen Kirksey (850) 561-5766
Limited information is available to the news media after hours and on weekends - please
email fwalker@flabar.org or call (850) 321-7846.
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EDITORS: Please note The Florida Bar is not an association and "Association" is not part of our name. Proper reference is
"The Florida Bar." Local bar organizations are properly termed "associations."
THE FLORIDA BAR
Attorney Discipline – Information for the Public and Attorneys
As an official arm of the Florida Supreme Court, The Florida Bar and its Department of
Lawyer Regulation are charged with administering a statewide disciplinary system to enforce
Supreme Court rules of professional conduct for the 95,000-plus lawyers admitted to
practice law in Florida. The Florida Bar accepts complaints against attorneys, investigates
those complaints and prosecutes attorneys who engage in unethical conduct.
For individuals who are unsure if a lawyer has acted ethically or who are dissatisfied and
wish to consider whether filing a complaint may be appropriate, The Florida Bar operates
the Attorney Consumer Assistance Program (ACAP). ACAP staff, including attorneys, handle
complaints and may be able to resolve problems before a complaint is filed. The ACAP
telephone number is toll-free: 1-866-352-0707
On This Page
For the Public
The 10 Most Important Things to Know About Lawyer Regulation by The Florida Bar
Judicial Conduct
Frequently Asked Questions
Florida Bar News Articles on the Discipline System
How to File a Complaint Against a Lawyer
Complaint Alternatives
Disciplinary Action News Releases and Access to Public Record Discipline Documents
Lawyer Discipline Statistics and Sanction Descriptions
The Complaint Process: Slide Presentation
For Attorneys
Ethics Hotline
Regulating Professionalism
Lawyer Regulation
Video of a Public Reprimand
Complimentary Continuing Legal Education on the Discipline System
FOR THE PUBLIC
The 10 Most Important Things to Know about Lawyer Regulation by The Florida
Bar
When lawyers take the oath of admission, they obligate themselves to uphold the law
and to abide by The Rules Regulating The Florida Bar as established by the Florida
Supreme Court. The Florida Bar regulates more than 95,000 lawyers and opens
approximately 7,500 files a year to investigate possible misconduct. Review the 10
Most Important Things to Know about Lawyer Regulation.
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Judical Conduct
Judicial Qualifications Commission
Judicial Qualifications Commission Cases Pending In The Florida Supreme Court
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Frequently Asked Questions
These FAQs About Lawyer Discipline cover clients' rights when retaining a lawyer, handling
problems with your attorney, lawyer referral, problems with other attorneys and complaints
against elected officials.
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Florida Bar News Articles on the Discipline System
Diversion to Disbarment, the Florida lawyer discipline system The Florida Bar News,
December 1, 2013
The Bar’s procedure for investigating and prosecuting disciplinary complaints The Florida Bar
News, February 1, 2014
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How to File a Complaint Against a Lawyer
The Attorney Consumer Assistance Program (ACAP) handles client complaints and can
resolve some problems via mediation before a complaint is filed. To speak with an ACAP
representative, call the ACAP Hotline at 1-866-352-0707.
ACAP provides more than 24,000 requests for assistance a year. The Attorney Consumer
Assistance Program (ACAP) webpage has a detailed consumer pamphlet, frequently asked
questions and the complaint form.
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Complaint Alternatives
The discipline system also assists consumers in dealing with common attorney-client issues
that do not necessarily rise to the level of grounds for filing a complaint.
If you are having difficulty communicating with your attorney, you should
consider the following before filing a complaint with The Bar:
1. Call the attorney's office and leave a message for a return call.
2. If you do not receive a return call within a reasonable period of time, write a letter to
the attorney, preferably with return receipt requested, requesting to be contacted
within a specified (reasonable) period of time. If the attorney fails to respond, your
letter can be used as evidence for future Florida Bar purposes.
If you are having difficulty obtaining files from your attorney.
The Rules of Professional Conduct require an attorney to return to a client all papers
and property to which the client is entitled unless the attorney is asserting a lien for
fees. The complete original file belongs to the lawyer and the attorney must provide a
copy of the file to the client and may charge reasonable copy costs.
Local Professionalism Panels
Another complaint alternative available in your community is the local professionalism
panels. Each judicial circuit provides an informal process for filing professionalism
complaints against attorneys. For more information regarding how and where to file a
professionalism complaint in your circuit, please visit the Chart of Contact Information
to File a Complaint in Each Circuit. A Sept. 1, 2014, Florida Bar News article provides
additional information.
If your problem is not resolved, please call The Florida Bar's Attorney Consumer
Assistance Program (ACAP) at 1-866-352-0707 to discuss your options.
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Lawyer Discipline Statistics and Sanction Descriptions
The Florida Bar opens approximately 7,500 disciplinary files and the Supreme Court issues
up to 400 orders for disciplining sanctions.
Lawyer Discipline Statistics
Description of Sanctions
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Disciplinary Action News Releases and Access to Public Record Discipline
Documents
The Florida Bar publishes a summary of disciplinary actions monthly. News releases
are sent to statewide media, published in The Florida Bar News and posted for public
viewing at The Florida Bar’s website, www.floridabar.org
Since Aug. 1, 2007, key discipline case files that are public record have been posted to
attorneys’ individual Florida Bar profiles at floridabar.org. To view discipline documents,
follow these steps.
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The Complaint Process: Slide Presentation
A 10-slide review of how the complaint process and grievance system work. Staff
in ACAP will review the process with you.
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FOR ATTORNEYS
Ethics Hotline
For lawyers, The Florida Bar operates an ethics hotline to offer guidance when a lawyer is
unsure of the ethical obligations in a particular situation: 1-800-235-8619.
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Regulating Professionalism
• Regulating Professionalism
• Code for Resolving Professionalism Complaints
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Lawyer Regulation
The Lawyer Regulation web page includes: The Rules Regulating The Florida Bar with the
Bylaws of The Florida Bar organization, the Rules of Discipline, the Rules of Professional
Conduct, and other chapters on specific regulatory topics; standards for lawyer
sanctions followed by Bar counsel, referees and the Supreme Court of Florida in
recommending or imposing discipline; disciplinary statistics, ACAP and branch office listings;
notices and a handbook on lawyer advertising and solicitation; and information on the
unlicensed practice of law.
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Video of a Public Reprimand
The public reprimand is a Supreme Court ordered form of public discipline which declares
the conduct of the lawyer improper. Public reprimands are delivered before the 52-member
Florida Bar Board of Governors and are public record. A video of an actual public
reprimand (2 min. 7 sec. , 14.7MB) has been posted for information.
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FREE CLE: The Florida Bar Discipline System
Bar members and Florida Registered Paralegals are encouraged to complete free online
continuing education courses on the discipline system. Each includes an overview of the
discipline system.
Rule 4-8.3 Reporting Professional Misconduct
Trust Accounting
Advertising
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[Revised: 08-26-2014]
Telephone Inquires
Written Inquires
ACAP Processing/Intake Process
More Lawyer/Public Friendly
Complaint
ACAP/Intake
Branch offices (5)
Grievance Committee
Similar to a Grand Jury
Referee Appointed by
Chief Judge
Supreme Court of
Florida
Dismissal by Bar Counsel
Dismissal by Intake counsel
Dismissed if No Probable Cause
Handles appeals and issues final order
Trial held and makes
recommendation to Supreme
Court
Board of
Governors Review
Probable Cause Found
Forward case to Grievance Committee
Forward case to Branch Office
Inquiry
Jurisdiction?
If true, is it a violation?
Complaint
Response requested
Rebuttal allowed
Analysis of facts
Options
Mediation/Fee Arbitration
Referral to Grievance Committee
Closure
Investigating Member Assigned
Additional Investigation
Hearing or Review
Grievance Committee Action
No Probable Cause
No Probable Cause with Letter of Advice
Diversion
Ethics School
Trust Accounting Workshop
Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc.
Advertising Workshop
Professionalism Workshop
Stress Management Workshop
LOMAS
Additional CLE Hours
Minor Misconduct
Probable Cause
Complaint Drafting and Filing
Guilty Plea
Appointment of Judicial Review
Discovery (Fla. R. Civ. P.)
Complaint & Answer
Final Hearing
Hearing on Sanctions
Report of Referee
Supreme Court Review
Issues Final Order
Petition for Review
Burden on appeal
10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15
Bar Population 91,491 93,895 96,559 98,922 101,093
Total Disbarments 84 103 53 61 60
Disbarment 38 41 22 36 36
Permanent Disbarment 14 40 21 12 5
License Revoked 1 2 1 1 10
Disbarment on Consent 31 20 9 12 9
Total Suspensions 179 149 95 129 165
Non-Rehabilitative Suspension 64 49 34 62 43
Emergency Suspension 32 25 25
Emergency Suspension (Final Sanction Pending) 1 4 3
Felony Suspension (Final Sanction Pending) 5 7 6 4 6
Rehabilitative Suspension 62 57 51 58 81
Suspension with Probation 15 11 3 0 6
Suspension & Public Reprimand 1 0 0 1 1
Suspension & Incapacity 0 0 0 0 0
Total Public Reprimands 49 41 28 61 61
Public Reprimand 43 33 19 48 50
Public Reprimand w/Probation 6 8 9 13 11
Total Disciplinary Resignations 1 0 0 0 0
Resignation 1 0 0 0 0
Permanent Resignation 0 0 0 0 0
Disciplinary Revocation 40 35
Revocation 31 25
Permanent Revocation 9 10
Total Admonishments 39 40 21 44 39
Admonishment 14 6 2 15 8
Admonishment w/Probation 0 2 1 1 1
GC Admonishment 25 32 18 28 30
Total Probations 52 46 33 51 43
Probation 3 2 0 1 4
Emergency Probation 0 0 0 0 0
Conditional Admission Probation 49 44 33 50 39
Injunctions 0 0 0 0 0
Total Discipline Orders 399 380 223 386 362
Total Cases 716 696 422 993 654
Files Opened 7,551 7,423 7,213 6,293 5,320
Note: The Florida Bar changed the discipline statistics table beginning in 2013-14 to reflect recent
amendments to The Florida Bar Rules of Discipline. Attorneys facing disciplinary charges can now petition
for a disciplinary revocation, which is tantamount to a disbarment. Additionally, an emergency suspension
now serves as a formal complaint based on the misconduct alleged in the petition for emergency
suspension. Before the rule change, the Bar was required to seek discipline in addition to the emergency
suspension. Under the new rule, the emergency suspension is temporary and will eventually be
superseded by further discipline.
Florida Bar Discipline Statistics
