Tag Archive for: contact florida bar hearing defense lawyers

Florida Bar Hearing Dates Set for May and July

The Florida Board of Bar Examiners has set hearings dates for bar applicants with investigative and formal hearings on May 10 -12, 2018, in Coral Gables, Florida, and July 13 -14, 2018, in Jacksonville, Florida.
If contacted by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners requesting an investigative or formal bar hearing, every Applicant should ask themselves if they are ready. There is a natural inclination to just want to get it over with, but if the Board of Bar Examiners files specifications and you now are facing a formal hearing you could be looking at oftentimes an 8 month to a year delay to your file. Soreide Law Group is representing Applicants in the upcoming Coral Gables and Jacksonville hearings before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.
The Board does allow the 15 day rule to be waived to submit your evidence in advance if they notice you are within the 15 day window. In this case, you can bring your exhibits with you to the hearing itself. Make sure you bring with you 5 copies of anything you intend to submit, which will be one copy for each Board member, one for the record, and one for you. If you are not sure if you are ready for your Florida Board of Bar Examiners Hearing on short notice, then you should wait. Only if you are fully prepared and have done all of the work in advance should you jump at the opportunity to rush into an earlier hearing. If you are not sure you should contact an attorney for a consultation.
Soreide Law Group has represented hundreds of Applicants before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners and can help you navigate the tough decision of, “Am I ready?” No two hearings are the same and each hearing requires evidence and testimony which is tailored to your specific fact set. Many of these items can be obtained quickly so it will vary case by case if an earlier hearing before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners is right for you. Soreide Law Group travels to every hearing location in Florida to represent Applicants. We are conveniently based in Pompano Beach, Florida.
If you have an investigative hearing or a formal hearing before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners call Soreide Law Group and speak to an experienced license defense attorney at no cost to you, at (888) 760-6552.

June 2015 Florida Bar Hearing Defense Attorney Tip

Don’t be afraid to engage in a battle of the experts before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. As a result of past conduct, you may have been forced to meet with a Florida Lawyers Assistance approved physician for a chemical dependency or psychological evaluation.
In many instances you may find yourself shocked with the findings and having to defend yourself to the Board. There are several ways to respond to an unfavorable chemical dependency or psychological evaluation.
You can depose the expert and pick apart his methodology and attempt to discredit him. However, since he or she has already been approved as an expert by the Board this is a dubious task.
The more meaningful way to attack the report would be to seek independent clinicians to conduct their own independent report. If your clinicians are willing to come in and testify to explain and validate their findings, then I feel that anyone applying to the Florida Bar has a fighting chance to not get unfairly labeled as a drug addict or unstable.
For more information call 954-760-6552 to speak to a Florida Board of Bar Examiners character and fitness defense attorney.

Florida Bar Defense Lawyer Formal Hearing Tip of the Month for October

After an investigative hearing before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, if they determine that that you may have engaged in conduct that is potentially disqualifying, the Board will then file specifications against you. These specifications require an answer within 20 days. In the answer you are allowed to plead your affirmative defenses to the accusations. If the affirmative defense of rehabilitation is not correctly plead then it is waived.
It is the Applicants burden at the formal hearing to prove rehabilitation by the clear and convincing evidence standard.  This standard is not defined anywhere and is up for interpretation as to how much rehabilitation needs to be documented for each offense. Community service is one way to document rehabilitation, but the more narrowly tailored the rehabilitation efforts are to the offense, the better it will be received by the board.
Also, at the formal hearing you are allowed to offer live character witnesses to appear before the Board to testify on your behalf. A formal hearing is a full blown trial where the Board is making arguments through their counsel to keep you out of the Bar. This can be a scary and daunting process for any applicant.  If you have a formal hearing before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners it is highly recommended your consult with an attorney.
Call the Soreide Law Group at (888) 760-6552 for a no cost consultation with an experienced Florida Bar Defense Attorney if you have an upcoming Investigative or Formal hearing with the Florida Bar. We travel to all locations throughout Florida to appear before the Board of Bar Examiners.

Florida Bar Defense Attorney Hearing Tip of the Month

Having just returned from the Orlando meeting before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, I think it is important to emphasis to applicants the importance of fiscal responsibility.

The Florida Board of Bar Examiners is not a debt collection agency nor do they work for your creditors. If you are admitted as an attorney in Florida, you can immediately open a trust account and will be responsible for managing the account and making sure you follow all the bar rules concerning trust accounting. It is clearly a red flag if as a non-attorney applicant there is strong evidence of not being able to manage your own financial affairs.

One particular creditor the Florida Bar does not want to see you turn your back on is the Internal Revenue Service. If you owe the IRS money and you can’t afford to pay them at the time, make a payment plan or offer what you can afford. If anything, this at least evidences some financial responsibility that you can resolve your own debts and come to a resolution.

Many times creditors will accept pennies on the dollar and I work with and advise my Florida Bar hearing clients on how to resolve the vast majority of their debts prior to their hearing. While sitting before the Board it is best to not have anything delinquent.

For more information speak to a Florida Bar hearing defense lawyer at the Soreide Law Group.  We represent 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 Investigative Hearing Defense Attorney Tip of the Month June 2014

Are out of state attorneys applying to the Florida Bar subjected to a higher level of scrutiny than first time applicants? There is no quantifiable data that can answer this question, but it is my opinion that yes they are.
Having personally represented over a hundred applicants before the Board, I see out-of-state attorneys applying to the Florida Bar for the first time, being called in for investigative hearings for what would normally not spark any further inquiry for first time new lawyer applicants. The logic behind this may be that retirees, typically from up North, who move down here should retire, and the Bar has an interest in retirees not “hanging a shingle” which would cut into the livelihood of existing Florida attorneys.
Either way, whatever the logic is, if you are licensed and practicing in another state and applying to the Florida Bar, it is wise to consult a Florida Bar Hearing Investigative Hearing Defense attorney to review your application before filing, and to not represent yourself if you are called in.
Licensed attorneys tend to want to represent themselves due to the fact that they have litigation experience in their respective area of law.  In most instances, the field of expertise they are licensed in does not translate to an administrative hearing, and a consultation with an attorney who routinely practices in this area is recommended.
If you have an upcoming investigative or formal hearing with the Florida Bar, call Soreide Law Group for a consultation at no cost with a Florida Bar Hearing Defense Attorney at (888) 760-6552. Our attorneys will travel to all locations in Florida to appear before the Board of Bar Examiners.

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.