Florida Bar Hearing Defense Attorney’s Tip of the Month for April 2014

If you have a history of drug or alcohol abuse it is important to consider the benefits of enrolling in Florida Lawyers Assistance before you appear in front of the Board of Bar Examiners for an Investigative Hearing. The Florida Bar is widely known as the toughest in the country when it comes to character and fitness evaluations. However, the Bar does not view a dependency problem as a character flaw, but rather as a treatable disease.
Many Applicants may be concerned that enrolling in Florida Lawyers Assistance of “FLA” would be evidence of bad character, while the exact opposite is true. The Board of Bar Examiners is not comprised of medical professionals who can assess the nature of any dependency disorder,  so they must rely upon FLA to do so for them. If enrolled in FLA the enrollee will have to abstain from all drugs (non prescribed) and alcohol and be subjected to random screening. This gives the Board the level of comfort they need to obtain to be able to conditionally admit you for a finite term with permanent admission to follow a successful term at FLA.
If enrolling make sure to enroll far enough out that you can have a meaningful interaction with FLA such as successfully completing several drug screens and obtaining a sponsor.  If however you feel that you do not have a dependency problem but your bar application may evidence otherwise, it is possible as an alternative to have a Florida Lawyers Assistance approved doctor conduct a chemical dependency evaluation and produce a report that may be offered at your investigative or formal hearing as evidence of no chemical dependency problem.
For more information or questions concerning this post you can contact Lars Soreide, Esq., at (954) 760-6552. Defending Florida Bar Applicants throughout Florida.

The Florida Board of Bar Examiners is Seeking Members from the General Public

The Florida Board of  Bar Examiners is currently seeking two people  from the general public to help in the process of recommendations for The Florida Bar.  This would be a three year term for the board members chosen.

The duties of the Board of Bar Examiners is to make sure all of the requirements for the applicants are met.  These requirements include such things as education, character and fitness, technical competence, to name a few. The deadline to apply is April 25, 2014.  The Florida Supreme Court has the final decision once the Board makes the recommendation.

For the general public member positions, lawyers are not eligible and you must have a bachelor’s degree, also experience or education in areas such as educational testing, statistics, psychology or medicine.  Expenses will be covered and approximately three days per month of work.

If you are interested in the position, please contact The Florida Bar.  Information is available also on their website.

Soreide Law Group represents those seeking admittance to The Florida Bar, and existing lawyers, for both Investigative Hearings and Formal Hearings in front of The Florida Bar. Please call (888) 760-6552.

Florida Bar Hearing Defense Lawyer’s Tip of the Month for March 2014

Having just returned from the recent hearings before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners in Tampa, I felt that the topic of child support obligations should be the topic of discussion for this month’s post.
Florida Rule 4-8.4(h) prohibits a lawyer from willfully refusing to timely pay a child support obligation. Florida Statute 61.13015 provides the basis for The Florida Bar to suspend a lawyer or deny a professional license for the willful non-payment of child support obligations.  Child support is an issue that I am beginning to see more often before the Board of Bar Examiners at investigative and formal hearings.
If you have delinquent payment obligations and are currently applying to the bar, try to make every effort to make all payments current. Your scorned ex-spouse will most likely also be contacted the Bar’s examiners and this will give them every opportunity to air out your dirty laundry and pour gasoline on the fire, creating all sorts of new issues you will have to defend.
Being a law student is no excuse for not paying your child support. Make arrangements to keep current at all times. If you have an investigative or formal hearing with the Florida Bar, feel free to call for a consultation at no cost to discuss your situation with a Florida Bar Hearing Defense Attorney. Call Soreide Law Group at (888) 760-6552. Our main office is in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Our attorneys travel to all locations throughout Florida to appear before the Board of Bar Examiners.

Florida Bar Hearing Defense Lawyer’s Tip of the Month for February 2014

This might seem obvious to some, but more often than not applicants to the Florida Bar do not review their Law School Applications prior to submitting the application to The Florida Bar. The Florida Board of Bar Examiners look for inconsistencies between your law school and bar applications. As a college student entering law school, one can be all too eager to assume the most favorable interpretation of a question on a law school application to not highlight some past transgression. The Florida Bar does fully expect an applicant to be completely candid in the admissions process, including BOTH applications.
So if you failed to disclose something on your law school application, please amend prior to submitting the Bar Application. It will definitely mitigate, to some extent, the lack of candor on the Law School Application if you become proactive and take it upon yourself to amend the application without the Board of Bar Examiners requesting you amend it. Candor is the most important aspect of the admissions process and applicants need to be extra careful in being consistent on all applications submitted signed under penalty of perjury.
If you have an investigative hearing and you have candor issues, feel free to call 954-760-6552 for a free consultation.

Florida Bar Defense Lawyer’s “Tip of the Month” for January 2014

If you have a substantial amount of unpaid debt and you have an investigative hearing before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, you should attempt to resolve as many of those debts as possible before your investigative hearing. Create a file for each debt you maintain so you can show a record of communication with your creditors. Phone calls should always be followed up with a letter.
The Florida Bar is not a debt collection agency and their interest isn’t in seeing you pay all your bills, but they want to see you not turn your back on your creditors, and be financially responsible.
In my experiences defending applicants in investigative and formal hearings, I have found that creditors are willing to sometimes settle for as little as 5 to 10 cents on the dollar. Even if you can’t pay it off and reduce the principal amount, at least put in place a written payment plan so the debt is not current while you are before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. You don’t want to have a current problem when you sit before them at the investigative hearing. You want only a past problem that you have professionally and responsibly resolved.
For more valuable tips and information, visit FloridaBarHearing.com or call and speak with Lars Soreide at (888) 760-6552.
Soreide Law Group, representing Florida Bar Applicants throughout the State of Florida.

Florida Bar Investigative Hearing Schedule 2014

The bar hearing defense firm of Soreide Law Group, (888) 760-6552, is reporting the tentative upcoming bar hearing meeting calendar for the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. Fort Lauderdale was added as a meeting location this year for the first time.  Soreide Law Group, and bar hearing defense lawyer, Lars Soreide, are located in Fort Lauderdale and travel regularly to all meetings of the Board of Bar Examiners for clients who have investigative and formal hearings before the Board.
January 9-11, 2014- Orlando;
March 13-15, 2014 Tallahassee;
April 10-12, 2014 Fort Lauderdale,
May 15-17, 2014 Tampa Bay
July 10-12, 2014 Jacksonville;
Sept 18-20, 2014 Orlando;
Oct 23-25, Fort Lauderdale; and
November 20-22, 2014 Tampa Bay.

Florida Bar Hearing Attorney Tip of the Month

– December’s Tip
When appearing before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners for an investigative hearing remember that the burden is on you to prove you have the requisite good character and fitness to be admitted to the Florida Bar. This isn’t criminal court where you can say nothing and present no evidence and the State has to make their case. Be proactive and communicate with the Panel members:
1) what mistakes you’ve made,
2) what you have learned from your mistakes, and
3) what assurances you can offer the Panel that the mistakes will not be repeated.
For more tips and information visit FloridaBarHearing.com or call and speak with Lars Soreide at (888) 760-6552.
Soreide Law Group, representing Florida Bar Applicants throughout the state of Florida.

Florida Supreme Court to Hear Whether or Not Undocumented Immigrants Are Eligible for Admission to The Florida Bar

The Florida Supreme Court is now back in session and is facing several high-profile cases.  One of those cases to be decided is:

Florida Board of Bar Examiners Re: Question as to Whether Undocumented Immigrants Are Eligible for Admission to The Florida Bar.

We have already posted twice on our blog regarding this case.  To review, click on the following links:

https://www.floridabarhearing.com/barhearingblog/?p=177

https://www.floridabarhearing.com/barhearingblog/?p=225

Briefly, the case involves Jose Godinez-Samperio, who came to America at 9 years-old from Mexico and graduated from law school at Florida State University. The problem is, Godinez-Samperio is an undocumented immigrant. The Supreme Court heard arguments in October, 2012, after the Florida Board of Bar Examiners asked the justices for guidance.

Godinez-Samperio also was approved to stay and work in the country under the 2012 Obama administration policy — “deferred action” — which was developed to help young people.

Last year the justices questioned whether the federal law prohibits undocumented immigrants from getting law licenses. In May, the U.S. Department of Justice said federal law bars the Florida Supreme Court from issuing a law license to an “unlawfully present alien,” regardless of the deferred-action issue. This dealt a major blow to Godinez-Samperio’s case.

Attorney Lars K. Soreide,  Soreide Law Group, represents those seeking admittance to the Florida Bar, and existing lawyers, for both Investigative Hearings and Formal Hearings in front of The Florida Bar. For more information about our services please call (888) 760-6552.

 

Sarasota Man Went from Multi-Felon to Attorney Thanks to Youth Court

It’s been eleven years since Stefan Campagna was charged with his 27th felony in Sarasota, writes Jessie Van Berkel in a recent article for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

The 27-year-old said he will not disassociate himself from his past — from the 16-year-old who busted into cars with a group of friends and had an “I dunno” mentality when he was asked why he did it. His past will help him connect with people in his future.

“People listen more to someone they can relate to,” Campagna said at a Sarasota County’s youth court celebration.

Campagna, a Sarasota native graduated in May from Hofstra University College of Law in New York and was honored as a member of the Florida Bar earlier this month. He is coordinator for the National Association of Youth Courts.

“He’s gotten every award we’ve given out,” said Katie Self, who has coordinated the teen court since six months after it was created in 1988. The teen court was the first court of its kind in Florida. It places youths who plead guilty to an offense in a unique setting, where people their age act as the bailiff, defense, prosecution and jury. Volunteers from local high schools determine the punishment for their peers. If the defendant completes their requirements, the charges are dismissed.

Stefan Campagna, was given 18 rounds of jury duty at the teen court and 150 hours of community service.

“Initially I wasn’t very receptive to much of anything,” he said. Campagna told himself he would likely end up in court again, and he had better be on the right side of the bench. So he went on to study law.

Since Sarasota created its teen court in 1988, 53 Florida counties have followed suit, according to the Florida Association of Teen Courts. And the number of courts nationwide has grown over the past few decades. Campagna even helped create a youth court in Nassau County, New York, where he went to law school.

The studies done on the courts’ effectiveness in reducing repeat offenders, generally found recidivism was less frequent for people who went through teen court.

Attorney Lars K. Soreide, of Soreide Law Group, PLLC, represents those seeking admittance to the Florida Bar, and existing lawyers, for both Investigative Hearings and Formal Hearings in front of the Florida Bar. For more information about our services please call (888) 760-6552

Three Florida Lawyers Permanently Disbarred

In a recent article for Ft. Lauderdale’s Sun Sentinel, Donna Gehrke-White writes that the Florida Supreme Court permanently disbarred two Broward County attorneys and a Palm Beach County lawyer from practicing law.

According to Florida Bar records, RJF of Hallandale Beach had been practicing law since 1958, but got into trouble when he was named a personal representative for a client’s estate. When the beneficiary attempted to cash a check from the estate, he couldn’t because RJF “admitted that he misappropriated trust funds,” the Florida Bar wrote.

Then RJF continued to practice law and tell clients he was an attorney despite being disbarred in May. The Florida Supreme Court found him in contempt and banned him from ever practicing law.

Two additional South Florida attorneys were banned permanently from practicing law after they were found to be in contempt of their disbarment. They also can never apply to practice law again, Kirksey said.

OJO was accused of failing “to record at least 17 original deeds and 21 original mortgages, exposing a title insurance fund to more than $10 million in claims exposure,” according to Florida Bar records. “A Florida Bar compliance audit of OJO’s trust accounting records determined that he misappropriated more than $370,000 in client funds.” This year he was found to still be practicing law.

AK of Boca Raton was permanently disbarred after he was found not complying with an Oct. 2 disbarment order, according to Florida Bar records. AK had been practicing since 2005. He had been ordered to notify all his clients of his disbarment and provide a sworn affidavit of those who had been given a copy of his disbarment order. But the Supreme Court ruled he hadn’t complied.

<strong>Attorney Lars K. Soreide, of Soreide Law Group, PLLC, represents those seeking admittance to the Florida Bar, and existing lawyers, for both Investigative Hearings and Formal Hearings in front of the Florida Bar. For more information about our services please call (888) 760-6552.</strong>