Some days you do challenging things just because they’re interesting or it seems like the right thing to do. Every now and then someone notices.
Such is the case with Terry Schmidt. The Florida Bar Association’s Board of Governors passed a resolution Feb. 1 honoring Schmidt for donating over $50,000 worth of his time to the prosecution of attorney F. Lee Bailey.
“I had helped the Bar initially in the investigative stages,” said Schmidt. “They were trying to get sealed bank records and I helped them with that. When they [The Florida Bar] decided to prosecute, they asked if I would help them again.”
Schmidt, who normally focuses on mediation work, decided to act as special counsel in the case. The strategy of Schmidt, lead counsel David Ristoff and Florida Bar staff counsel Debbie Davis was to destroy Bailey’s credibility and expose him as a liar.
Bailey, a prominent criminal defense attorney who is known for his involvement in several big name cases, including O.J. Simpson and the Boston Strangler, faced permanent disbarment in Florida from Judge Cynthia Ellis. In direct violation of Florida Bar disciplinary rules, Bailey mishandled stocks totaling $6 million, which were entrusted to him.
One day before Thanksgiving last year, The Florida Supreme Court ruled he was to be barred from practicing in the state for five years because of “egregious misconduct.”
“Effectively, he’s permanently disbarred; the man is 71 years old,” said Schmidt. “In my opinion, he’ll never be readmitted to The Florida Bar. The Supreme Court took the measure of the man and he came up wanting.”
Schmidt is a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association and has been a member of The Florida Bar since 1973. He is a partner in the firm of Bledsoe, Schmidt, Lippes, Moonly & Roberson.