Florida

Carlton Fields seeks $800K in fees in client’s failed fight for guardianship of multimillionaire

Carlton Fields Jorden Burt is asking a Miami-Dade probate judge to award it more than $800,000 in fees for its work on behalf of a man who failed in a bid to obtain permanent guardianship over his elderly father, whose fortune has been estimated at $300 million. With costs, Carlton…

Oct 21, 2015 7:46 AM CDT

Federal employee is indicted for alleged lies about Confederate flag picture in workplace incident

A former employee of the Army Corps of Engineers has been indicted for her statements to a federal inspector investigating how a picture of the Confederate battle flag ended up on the desk of an African-American co-worker. Susan Thompson, 58, of Jacksonville, Florida, was indicted on two counts of making…

Oct 21, 2015 7:13 AM CDT

Day Pitney to open in Florida by merging with small trusts and estates firm

Day Pitney has announce a planned merger with a small Florida trusts and estates firm. The merger with Chapin Ballerano & Cheslack, which is to take place on Jan. 1, will establish a Florida practice for Day Pitney, a Northeast regional law firm that lists close to 300 lawyers on…

Oct 19, 2015 9:05 AM CDT

Florida Bar refuses to ease admission for out-of-state lawyers

Proposals to ease the way for out-of-state lawyers to practice in Florida are off the table. On Friday, the Florida Bar’s Board of Governors unanimously voted down proposals for admission on motion and reciprocity after bar members voiced disapproval, the Daily Business Review (sub. req.), the Wall Street Journal Law…

Oct 19, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

Prolific snitch reads cellmates’ legal papers while they sleep, defense attorney says

A prolific informant who could potentially testify in nearly two dozen Florida criminal cases says he gets fellow inmates to confess by offering his services as a jailhouse lawyer. But in fact Frederick Cobia, who claims to have inside knowledge in 23 cases, learns details by reading Palm Beach County…

Oct 16, 2015 3:15 PM CDT

11th Circuit strikes down Florida’s involuntary commitment law for intellectually disabled

A federal appeals court has struck down Florida’s involuntary commitment law for people with intellectual disabilities because it does not provide for periodic review of the continued confinement. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday, holding that the law violates the due process clause, report Courthouse…

Oct 16, 2015 11:15 AM CDT

Supreme Court considers Florida’s advisory death penalty system, juvenile sentencing

Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism about Florida’s advisory system for determining capital punishment as they heard oral arguments in two sentencing cases on Tuesday. In the Florida case, a judge sentenced Timothy Lee Hurst to death for the 1998 murder of his fast-food co-worker after jurors found two aggravating circumstances…

Oct 14, 2015 10:49 AM CDT

Self-described drunken driver live-streams video while behind wheel and is charged with DUI

A 23-year-old Florida woman was charged with driving under the influence over the weekend after she allegedly live-streamed her self-described drunk-driving incident on Periscope. Police in Lakeland were initially unfamiliar with the social media mobile app and didn’t have access to it on their department-issued equipment. But one of the…

Oct 13, 2015 11:50 AM CDT

Opinion disbarring ‘unrepentant’ lawyer cites disparaging emails, intentional smirking

Florida lawyer Jeffrey Alan Norkin didn’t get the message after he was suspended in October 2013 and held out as “a glaring example of unprofessional behavior,” according to the Florida Supreme Court. Norkin has “an unrepentant attitude” and is “not amenable to rehabilitation,” the Florida Supreme Court said in an…

Oct 13, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Judge dismisses class action suit against Florida Coastal School of Law

A judge has dismissed a class action suit against a Florida law school whose alumni claimed they were misled about their job prospects after graduation. U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis of Jacksonville held that the plaintiffs did not have a case against Florida Coastal School of Law under the…

Oct 7, 2015 5:20 PM CDT

Judge who challenged public defender to fistfight is suspended without pay

A Florida judge who escalated a testy courtroom confrontation by challenging a public defender to a fistfight has been suspended without pay by the Florida Supreme Court and given 20 days to explain why he should keep his job, Florida Today reports. The state high court went beyond a recommendation…

Oct 6, 2015 4:25 PM CDT

Lawyer killed goat, drank its blood, and is running for US Senate

A 32-year old Orlando, Florida, lawyer who changed his name to Augustus Sol Invictus and won’t divulge his given name is running as a Libertarian candidate for the U.S. Senate, which prompted the recent resignation of the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Florida, who says Invictus wants to start…

Oct 6, 2015 2:30 PM CDT

Real-estate law firm plans 150 layoffs, will close its title company

A Florida real-estate law firm known for its foreclosure practice says it plans to lay off approximately 150 workers and close its title company operation. However, the Law Offices of Daniel C. Consuegra will continue in business, reports the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The planned layoffs were announced to the…

Oct 1, 2015 1:10 PM CDT

Judge removed from bench for promoting ministry is suspended from law practice

The Florida Supreme Court has suspended a former judge from law practice for nine months for using her position as a judge to promote her ministry. The judge, Judith Hawkins of Leon County, was removed from the bench last October. The Florida Supreme Court ordered her suspension (PDF) on Sept.…

Sep 29, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

College student faces felony charge over what he says was a powdered-sugar prank

A Florida college student says he wanted to have some fun with the University of Miami’s pre-announced dorm inspection. So Jonathan Harrington left lines of powdered sugar, a rolled-up dollar bill and seven aspirin pills out in plain sight for the inspectors to spot during the Aug. 30 inspection, he…

Sep 28, 2015 11:40 AM CDT