Tag Archive for: Florida Bar Hearing Lawyer

Florida Bar Hearing Dates for 2025

Soreide Law Group, conveniently located in South Florida, has represented hundreds of applicants for both investigative and formal hearings before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. If you are contacted by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners requesting an investigative or formal bar hearing, you should be prepared for their hearing.

The following dates were recently released by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners for their upcoming bar hearing meeting dates for 2025. Please note that some of the dates will be held via Zoom and others will be held in person.

January 24 – 25, 2025             Tampa

March 20 – 21, 2025                 Via Zoom

April 11, 2025                             Tallahassee

May 15 – 16, 2025                     Via Zoom

July 11 – 12, 2025                      Coral Gables

September 11 – 12, 2025         Via Zoom

October 17 – 18, 2025              Jacksonville

November 14 – 15, 2025         Orlando

Every bar hearing requires evidence and testimony which is tailored to your specific fact set. Many of these items can be obtained quickly, however, it will vary case by case. The Board will waive the 15 day rule for submitting your evidence in advance if you are within the 15 day window. In this case, you would be able to bring your exhibits with you to the hearing itself. You must bring 5 copies of whatever needs to be submitted, which includes, one copy for each of the Board members, one for the record, and one for you.

If you feel you may not be ready for your Florida Board of Bar Examiners bar, then we recommend you wait until you are fully prepared and have done all of the work in advance.  You should not rush into an earlier hearing if you are not ready. If you are not sure, we recommend you contact an attorney for a consultation.

Soreide Law Group is based in Pompano Beach, Florida. We travel to every bar hearing location in Florida representing applicants in both investigative and formal hearings before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. If you have an upcoming investigative hearing or a formal hearing please call Soreide Law Group and speak to an experienced license defense attorney at no cost to you at: 888-760-6552.

 

Florida Board of Bar Examiners Hearings 2022

The Florida Board of Bar Examiners has announced the following dates and locations of bar hearings for the remainder of 2022:

August 25-26, 2022           Zoom

September 15-17, 2022      Tampa, Florida

October 20-22, 2022         Orlando, Florida

November 17-19, 2022      Coral Gables. Florida

Soreide Law Group reminds all Florida Bar Applicants that if they are contacted by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners requesting an investigative or formal bar hearing, every Applicant should ask themselves if they are ready to proceed. Soreide Law Group represents Applicants in both investigative and formal hearings before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.

Each bar hearing requires evidence and testimony which is specific to you. 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 may be right for you.  The Board will waive the 15 day rule for submitting your evidence in advance if you are within the 15 day window. If this is the case, you would be able to bring your exhibits with you to the hearing itself. You must bring 5 copies of anything you intend to submit, one copy for each of the Board members, one for the record, and one for you.

If you are not sure if you are ready for your hearing on short notice, then you should consider waiting. Only if you are fully prepared and have done all of the work in advance should you rush into an earlier hearing. If you are not sure, you could 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 process. Soreide Law Group is conveniently based in Pompano Beach, Florida.  We will travel to every hearing location in Florida to represent our clients. If you have an investigative hearing or a formal hearing before the Florida Board, contact Soreide Law Group and speak to an experienced license defense attorney at no cost to you, at (888) 760-6552.

 

What Do Lawyers Charge to Represent You at a Florida Bar Hearing?

Soreide Law Group charges $3,500 for representation of student Applicants before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners for an investigative hearing and $4,500 for out of state attorneys applying to the Florida Bar. For Formal Hearings before the Board we charge between $7,500 to $10,000, depending on a number of factors such as, if there are depositions that will be needed, the complexity of the issues, the number of witnesses that need to be prepared, and if you are a student applicant or an out of state attorney.

Many attorneys would never publicize their rates because many do what is commonly referred to as “value billing,” meaning that they charge their clients the maximum that they perceive they can afford. There is a huge disparity in what people charge even for an investigative hearing which ranges from $2,500 to $15,000, which is based off my knowledge of what applicants have shared with me.

As an attorney who has represented applicants before the Board for over a decade and having done hundreds of appearances in character hearings before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, I am well justified in being at the top of the range. The purpose of this post is to inform the public that there are several (including myself) seasoned attorneys that charge below $5,000 for an investigative hearing. It pains me to hear from an applicant who is heading to a formal hearing who paid $6,000 or more to an attorney that touted his “reputation” and years of experience as his reason for his outrageous billing only to learn that the attorney under prepared the client and offered little to no evidence to the Board in support of their client at the hearing.

Buyer beware that you have other options that offer substantial value and maximum efforts on your behalf for their services. Don’t get oversold on someone having a good “relationship” with the Board because the Board is evaluating YOU and not the attorney sitting next to you.

For a FREE consultation for your investigative or formal hearing before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners call 888-760-6552.

If you feel Soreide Law Group isn’t the right fit for you we are happy to provide names of other reasonably priced, highly skilled attorneys who regularly appear before the Board.

Vacancies Announced on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners

Licensed Florida Lawyer applicants are being sought to fill the two vacancies on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.

There will be a joint screening committee of Florida Board of Governors members and Florida Board of Bar Examiners members. They will recommend six nominees for two lawyer vacancies at the May 20, 2016 meeting. Their nominations will then be forwarded to the Florida Supreme Court to fill two five-year terms beginning Nov. 1, 2016 and ending on Oct. 31, 2021.

Florida attorneys applying must have been members of The Florida Bar for at least five years and they must be a practicing Florida lawyer with “scholarly attainments” and have a positive interest in legal education and the requirements for admission to the Bar. Appointment or election to the bench at any level of the court system will disqualify any applicant. All law professors or trustees are ineligible.

The board members of the Bar Examiners must be able to attend approximately ten meetings a year in various Florida locations. Members should be willing to devote 3-4 days’ a month, or up to 350 or more hours per year on Board business, depending on committee assignments. Travel expenses connected with the meetings and examinations are reimbursed.

Persons interested in applying for these vacancies should contact Tara Newman, Director of Administration, Florida Board of Bar Examiners, at 850-681-5707 to obtain the application form. Completed applications must be received by the Executive Director, 1891 Eider Court, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1750 by the close of business on Friday, March 25, 2016.

The Soreide Law Group represents those seeking admittance to the Florida Bar and existing attorneys, for both Formal and Investigative Hearings in front of The Florida Bar.  For more information regarding our services, call and speak to an attorney at no-cost:  1-888-760-6552.

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.

Non-US Citizens Applying to The Florida Bar

The following message was sent from the Florida Bar to the 17th Circuit Representatives of  The Florida Bar Board of Governors;

“The Florida Bar Board of Governors met on July 26, 2013. Major actions of the board and reports received include:

In response to a notice of intent to file a petition to amend Rule 1-3.1 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar to specify that no one who has complied with requirements for Bar  admission be disqualified from membership solely because he or she is  not a U.S. citizen, the board voted to respond to the petition after its filing by indicating that the board supports the concept contained in  the petition, but that the board believes that the amendment is more  appropriately placed in the Rules of the Supreme Court Relating to  Admissions to the Bar, and that the board recommends to the Supreme  Court of Florida that it seek input from the Board of Bar Examiners on  the issue. The notice of intent to file the petition was submitted as  per Rule 1-12.1(f) and (g). The Florida Bar has not taken a position on the case of Jose Godinez-Samperio, an undocumuented immigrant seeking to become a member of the Bar.”

The following article pertains to the above mentioned case and appeared in our blog:

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

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

Disqualifying Conduct

There are many scenerios considered ‘disqualifying conduct’ to The Florida bar. According to Rule 3-11 a lack of honesty, trustworthiness, reliability or diligence may cause you denial to The Florida Bar.

The following list was compiled by The Florida Bar.  This information appears on their website.  These reasons may give cause for further inquiry before admittance.

 
  • Unlawful conduct by applicant
  • Academic misconduct
  • Making or procuring any false or misleading statement or omission of relevant information, including any false or misleading statement or omission on the Bar Application, or any amendment, or in any testimony or sworn statement submitted to the board
  • Misconduct in employment
  • Acts involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation
  • Abuse of legal process
  • Financial irresponsibility
  • Neglect of professional obligations
  • Violation of an order of a court
  • Evidence of mental or emotional instability
  • Evidence of drug or alcohol dependency
  • Denial of admission to the bar in another jurisdiction on character and fitness grounds
  • Disciplinary action by a lawyer disciplinary agency or other professional disciplinary agency of any jurisdiction
  • Any other conduct which reflects adversely upon the character and fitness of the applicant

This concludes the information acquired from The Florida Bar’s website.

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 or visit: https://www.floridabarhearing.com.

 

THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT DISCIPLINES 18 ATTORNEYS

The following information appeared on the Florida Bar’s website:

Summaries of orders issued between Oct. 2 and Oct. 15, 2012

The Florida Bar, the state’s guardian for the integrity of the legal profession, announced that the Florida Supreme Court in recent court orders disciplined 18 attorneys, disbarring two and suspending 11. Some attorneys received more than one form of discipline. Five attorneys were publicly reprimanded; two were placed on probation and one was ordered to pay restitution.

The Court orders are not final until time expires to file a rehearing motion and, if filed, determined.

 

Attorney Lars 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. Please call (888) 760-6552 or visit: www.floridabarhearing.com.