Local attorney disbarred, another reprimanded by Florida Supreme Court

by Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon

A local attorney was disbarred while another received a public reprimand in May and June.

Mark Edward Tietig, whose listed office is on Merritt Island, was disbarred effective following a June 17 court order. According to the Florida Bar Association, Tietig, who had been practicing law since 1997, "self-reported to the Bar an overdraft in his law office trust account resulting from fraud. At the time of the overdraft, Tietig was holding client funds in the trust account. Tietig was unable to recover the client funds and he failed to correct the shortage in the trust account,"

The bar also said Tietig "neglected" clients in two different civil cases in which he "failed to communicate with the clients and ultimately abandoned the clients when he closed his law office without notice."

Tietig's listed phone number appeared to be disconnected. 

"Tietig took no steps to protect his clients when he abruptly ceased practicing law," according to the Bar.

Meanwhile, Bryon R. Aven, another lawyer, received a public reprimand following a May 27 court order, according to the Bar association. According to his profile on the Florida Bar website, Aven resides in Marion County but his office address and phone number are listed as the State Attorney's office for the 18th Judicial Circuit which includes Brevard and Seminole Counties.

A spokesman for the State Attorney's office confirmed Aven is an assistant state attorney but said the office had no further comment.

Aven was admitted to the bar in 2008. HIs reprimand stems from his unsuccessful judicial campaign in Marion County.

"Aven made misleading and damaging statements concerning the incumbent judge," according to the Bar, which said that, "Aven expressly and intentionally implied that the incumbent judge favored criminals, disfavored law enforcement, disfavored the state attorney and that he, as a candidate, would do differently."

Aven did not immediately respond to emailed request for comment.

Full Article & Source:

Local attorney disbarred, another reprimanded by Florida Supreme Court

Lawyer deserves reprimand for courtroom protest that led to 'Bart Simpson-esque' punishment, ethics board says

By Debra Cassens Weiss

An Ohio lawyer has agreed to a public reprimand for his reaction to a judge’s adverse ruling that led to a well-publicized and unusual punishment.

The Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Professional Conduct is recommending that the state supreme court agree to the public reprimand for Lorain, Ohio, lawyer Anthony Baker, Cleveland.com reports.

According to the board’s April 9 report and recommendation, Baker staged a protest when Judge Nancy Fuerst of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, refused to give jurors a self-defense instruction during a felonious assault trial of Baker’s client.

The protest consisted of repeated efforts to stop the trial from proceeding, the report said. Baker told Fuerst that he would sit at the back of the courtroom. Fuerst told Baker to sit down and be quiet. When Fuerst was instructing the jury, Baker left the defense table and stood behind a television stand. His intent, Baker said, was to show that he wasn’t participating.

Baker was found in contempt in February 2020. He was ordered to pay a $500 fine and to write, 25 times each:

• I will not engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice or in any other conduct that adversely reflects on my fitness to practice law.

• I shall not engage in conduct intended to disrupt a tribunal or engage in undignified or discourteous conduct that is degrading to a tribunal.

Cleveland.com has characterized the order as a “Bart Simpson-esque dose of punishment.”

Baker complied with the order and admitted to the inappropriate nature of his conduct. The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association opened an investigation after reading newspaper accounts of the punishment.

A hearing panel noted several mitigating factors, including the “highly public nature” of the contempt proceedings against Baker, the lack of prior discipline against him, and his cooperative attitude in the ethics proceedings.

Baker told the ABA Journal that he was “discourteous,” and that “the judge was right in the discipline she gave.”

“As I’ve maintained throughout, what I did in the courtroom was not justified,” Baker says. “But I can’t back away from [thinking that] my client got an unfair trial” because jurors weren’t able to consider self-defense.”

Asked about the specifics of his wrongdoing, Baker says he didn’t engage in any kind of outbursts, and the judge noted that his protest did not create a circus atmosphere. Nor was there any kind of repeated conduct that he can remember, he says.

Baker’s client was convicted for the lesser offense of aggravated assault and domestic violence, according to Cleveland.com. The case is on appeal.

Full Article & Source:

Lawyer deserves reprimand for courtroom protest that led to 'Bart Simpson-esque' punishment, ethics board says

One PBC attorney disbarred, another disciplined

By Jane Musgrave

Lawrence Forno of Boynton Beach and Thomas Craft Jr. of Tequesta are disciplined by the Florida Supreme Court.

One Palm Beach County attorney has been disbarred and another has been placed on probation in recent rulings by the Florida Supreme Court.

Lawrence Forno, 77, of Boynton Beach, agreed to voluntarily give up his license to practice law after pleading guilty to a charge of grand theft in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. He was ordered to spend a year on house arrest.

Forno, who had practiced law since 1978, has also been sued by the Florida attorney general in connection with a scheme to steal as much as $1.5 million. The attorney general claims Forno filed “sham lawsuits” to steal money from court-ordered real estate sales, according to Broward County court records.

Thomas Craft Jr., of Tequesta, was publicly reprimand and placed on probation for two years after officials said he failed to properly monitor others involved in loan modification work.

While the high court said he performed his work properly, it ordered him to take an ethics class because he violated Florida Bar rules. He was also ordered to refund $3,750 to a client.

The two are among 14 lawyers statewide who were disciplined in the past month, according to the Florida Bar.

Full Article & Source:
One PBC attorney disbarred, another disciplined

Austin Lawyer's Mishandling of $64K Brings Disbarment. 20 Other Texas Attorneys Sanctioned

A list of Texas lawyer discipline cases that was released Friday included 21 attorneys with ethics sanctions, which included three disbarments, eight law license suspensions, two public reprimands and eight private reprimands.

 
By Angela Morris 

Photo: Atstock Productions/Shutterstock.com

Austin lawyer Damon Dean Robertson’s misconduct in handling nearly $64,000 of a client’s money has ended with his disbarment.

A woman hired Robertson in a divorce case and she won the funds from the sale of her home and her ex-husband’s retirement account. The client’s money was in Robertson’s trust account initially, but the lawyer transferred the money to himself in January 2017, said a judgment of disbarment. She never received her funds. The attorney’s mishandling of two business litigation matters for a different client, which ended with that client facing significant judgments, are also reasons behind Robertson’s disbarment.

His cases are just one of the lawyer discipline actions against 21 total attorneys included on the May disciplinary list announced Friday by the State Bar of Texas Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel. Two other attorneys on the list were also disbarred, while eight lawyers received partially or fully probated suspensions of their law licenses. Public reprimands were issued to two attorneys, and another eight lawyers were privately reprimanded, according to the list.

Here are links to the public disciplinary documents in the rest of the cases on the May discipline list.

Full Article & Source:
Austin Lawyer's Mishandling of $64K Brings Disbarment. 20 Other Texas Attorneys Sanctioned

Milton attorney reprimanded for charging exorbitant fees

The Florida Supreme Court has ordered that Milton attorney Jennifer Byrom be publicly reprimanded after it found the attorney charged excessive fees for a 10-year-long probate case.

The matter began in 1998 when Byrom’s future client, a widow, consulted her on her husband’s estate, requesting assistance with handling the $1.5 million estate. In July 1998, Byrom took guardianship, but she did not extend guardianship to the widow in petitions filed with the courts.

It was at this time when the attorney began to charge exorbitant hourly rates. According to court documents, Byrom charged between $60 and $85 per hour for any work performed by her staff and between $180 and $250 per hour for work she completed done. She charged the widow for both guardianship and legal services, even though she was only entitled to charge for performing the latter.

Additionally, Byrom charged incidentals to the account such as her food and travel expenses. All of her expenses were approved by the courts.

After 10.5 years of service, the widow’s daughter filed for and was granted guardianship, but Byrom had already racked up charges totaling $400,000 during her time as guardian.

After reviewing the facts of the case, including the court approvals and signatures from the widow and her children approving the activities charged, the Supreme Court determined that discipline was warranted. Byrom will to be publicly reprimanded in the Referee and will be required to take 15 hours of continuing legal education in guardianship and 15 hours in guardianship, probate and/or estate planning.

The family law attorney was admitted to the Florida State Bar in 1985 and is a graduate of the Samford University Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama. She had no prior record of discipline in the state.

Full Article & Source:
Milton attorney reprimanded for charging exorbitant fees