from staff
Former two-term Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell was disbarred by The Florida Bar for five years to June 13, 2006, following a Feb. 15 court order. Campbell was convicted in March 2006 of three counts of tax violation, thus violating Bar rules against engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation. According to the Bar’s records, Campbell lists a Stuart, Fla. address.
Campbell was mayor of Atlanta from 1994-2002, an eight-year stint that included hosting the Olympics. When he left in 2002, Campbell left the city with an $80 million deficit. He and members of his staff were investigated by the federal government and brought up on charges of bribery racketeering and tax evasion. After a six-week trial, Campbell was acquitted of the bribery and racketeering charges, but was convicted of tax evasion. On June 12, 2006, he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison and fined $6,300.
Overall, The Florida Bar announce the Florida Supreme Court in recent court orders disciplined 15 attorneys, disbarring four others, suspending nine, placing four on probation and reprimanding one. Some attorneys received more than one form of discipline.
Due to space limitations, not all attorneys are listed.
The following lawyers are disciplined:
• Andrew J. Natale Jr., 656 Yonkers Ave., Yonkers, N.Y., disbarred effective 30 days from a Feb. 1 court order. Natale on two occasions failed to deposit or to timely deposit money to be held in escrow into a trust account. He also had numerous trust account violations.
• Matthew Jay Schaefer, 9035 N.W. 51st Place, Coral Springs, disbarred retroactive to June 15, 2006, following a Feb. 15 court order. Schaefer pled guilty to felony tax evasion, thus committing a criminal act that reflected adversely on his honesty and trustworthiness and engaging in conduct in the practice of law that is prejudicial to the administration of justice.
• Gregory Glen Schultz, 3175 San Mateo St., Clearwater, disbarred following a Feb. 8 court order. Schultz was found guilty in federal court of 36 felonies including securities fraud, mail fraud and money laundering and has been required to pay more than $16 million in restitution.
• James Russell Vogel, 171 N.E. Village Parkway No. B8, Marietta, Ga., disbarred effective 30 days from a Feb. 22 court order. In October 2005, Vogel was disbarred from practicing law in Georgia for abandoning his practice. He also violated rules of The Florida Bar regarding competently and diligently representing clients.
• Dominic G. Bocco Jr., 2220 Hillcrest St., Orlando, suspended for 91 days effective 30 days after a Feb. 13 court order. Bocco was suspended for noncompliance with an earlier court order requiring initial and final reviews of his office procedures and analysis of his record-keeping as a condition of his probation.
• Steven Elliot Brooks, 2800 Island Blvd., Apt. 2205, Aventura, suspended for six months and placed on probation for two years following a Feb. 1 court order. Additionally, Brooks was ordered to pay restitution to a client. Brooks failed to competently and diligently represent a client and failed to keep a client reasonably informed.
• Mark Harrill Hutchison, 210 South Park Ave., Suite 102, Sanford, suspended until further order of the court, following a Feb. 9 court order. Hutchison admitted to not maintaining trust account records and to having insufficient funds to cover funds owed to clients and/or third parties. He also admitted to paying child support obligations out of his trust account.
• Carlo Jean-Joseph, 12784 W. Dixie Highway, North Miami, suspended for 60 days effective 30 days from a Feb. 15 court order, and ordered to attend and successfully complete The Florida Bar’s Professionalism Workshop within six months. Jean-Joseph failed to provide competent representation to clients, failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client, failed to ensure that lawyers under his managerial authority conformed to the Rules of Professional Conduct and failed to take reasonable remedial action to mitigate the consequences of the actions of an attorney under his supervisory authority.
• Jeffrey Paul Kaiser, 19801 E. Saint Andrews Dr., Hialeah, suspended for 30 days effective retroactive to Jan. 11, placed on probation for one year and ordered to pay restitution to clients, following a Feb. 8 court order. Kaiser failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing clients, failed to keep clients reasonably informed about the status of a matter and failed to promptly comply with reasonable requests for information.
• Joseph Anthony Garcia-Riveiro, 9240 S.W. 80th Terrace, Miami, suspended until further order of the court, following a Feb. 21 court order. Garcia-Riveiro is under investigation for possible trust fund irregularities and has failed to provide The Florida Bar complete trust account records that would enable the Bar to conduct a full audit.
• Michael A. Moulis, 1100 Lee Wagener Blvd., Suite 312, Fort Lauderdale, suspended for 30 days, effective 30 days from a Feb. 22 court order. Moulis committed an act that is unlawful or contrary to honesty and justice, failed to provide competent representation to a client, failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client, failed to keep a client reasonably informed and inappropriately withdrew from representing a client.
• Debora A. Tyack, 71 E. Wilson Bridge Road, Suite A-4, Worthington, Ohio, suspended from the practice of law for three years, effective 30 days from a Feb. 22 court order. In November 2005, Tyack was indefinitely suspended from practicing law in Ohio for neglect of legal matters, neglecting her duties as guardian ad litem, failing to return unearned portions of legal fees and dismissing a case without a client’s permission. Tyack violated Florida Bar rules governing trust accounts and she engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.
• Carolyn Van Zant, P.O. Box 2282, New Smyrna Beach, suspended following a Feb. 16 order. The order states that Van Zant “appears to be causing great public harm through neglect and abandonment of her law practice and by the misappropriation of client trust funds.”
• Michelle H. Clark, P.O. Box 952266, Lake Mary, placed on probation for three years, effective immediately after a Feb. 1 court order, and ordered to pay restitution to two clients. Clark failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client; failed to keep a client reasonably informed on the status of a matter, failed to promptly comply with reasonable requests for information and engaged in conduct in connection with the practice of law that is prejudicial to the administration of justice.
• Linda Gurfein Miklowitz, P.O. Box 14922, Tallahassee, placed on probation following a Feb. 23 court order and ordered to undergo an evaluation to determine her fitness to practice law. She will remain on probation pending further court order.
• Richard Edward Benton, 1415 E. Piedmont Drive, Suite 4, Tallahassee, reprimanded following a Feb. 1 court order. Benton failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client and did not advance the probate of an estate, causing the case to be dismissed for inaction.
• Lorn Leitman, 8660 W. Flagler St., Suite 200, Miami, reprimanded and ordered to successfully complete Ethics School within six months of a Feb. 1 court order. Leitman engaged in misconduct and minor misconduct and engaged in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.