10/05/2012 - Myclipp

Bizjournais/ - News, Seg, 14 de Maio de 2012
CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL (Supreme Court)
Florida Bar report proposes new attorney
discipline standards
The Florida Bar
The Florida Bar Latest from The Business Journals By
the numbersFour South Florida attorneys
suspendedJacksonville area attorney disbarred, two
others suspended Follow this company may need to
hold lawyers to a “higher standard” when it comes to
misconduct, according to a much-anticipated report by
the Hawkins Comission on Review of the Discipline
System.The commission was formed in the wake of
two major scandals that rocked the legal profession in
Florida – the Scott Rothstein Ponzi scheme and the
robo-signing controversy over forged foreclosure
docuements.The report recognizes that the Florida
Supreme Court
Florida Supreme Court Latest from The Business
Journals Florida Supreme Court considers
robo-signing sanctionsBehind the curtain: New
program teaches local firms how legal world can help
themFlorida Supreme Court considers homestead
exemption case Follow this company is moving toward
“stronger sanctions” for attorneys who commit
wrongdoing on the job.Although light on detail, the
report recommends that the Florida Bar acknowledge
the court’s strong sanctions: “The Court and The
Florida Bar have a duty to protect the public from harm
by lawyers and it may be that holding lawyers to a
higher standard may increase the reputation of all
lawyers in the eyes of the public.”The report does
make some specific recommendations in other areas,
including a possibly controversial suggestion that
aging attorneys be moved into a different status after a
certain age to avoid discipline problems associated
with infirmities of age. According to the report, the Bar
may want to consider sending attorneys information
about aging programs and alternatives starting at age
55.The Florida Bar Board of Governors will take up the
recommendations in a regular meeting on Friday. The
Business Journal will be following the Board of
Governor's meeting and its response to the
recommendations.In some good news, the report said
the Bar’s new intake program, Attorney Consumer
Assistance Program (ACAP), is working well. And the
report said the Bar has been integrating new
technology to track discipline cases.Other
recommendations included:
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