Practice Devoted Exclusively to Florida Bar Admissions and Attorney Discipline Defense

Whether you are filling out a law school application, a Florida Bar application, or have received a notice of investigative hearing from The Florida Board of Bar Examiners, it is important to know that the Board explores an applicant’s law school and bar application omissions and nondisclosures, financial responsibility issues, substance abuse and mental health issues, and prior criminal charges.

If an applicant fails to properly prepare a law school and/or bar application, issues impacting your Bar admission could arise that may have been preventable, if an admissions attorney had reviewed the applications prior to their submission.

If an applicant is not properly prepared for a character and fitness investigative hearing, statements against interest made on the record during that hearing can be used against the applicant at a later time. The Board could file specifications, which are formal charges stating that the applicant is not qualified for admission to The Florida Bar.

While an accused has the presumption of innocence in the criminal arena, specifications are considered true as filed, and the burden is on the applicant to prove that he or she is fit and qualified to practice law in the state of Florida at a formal hearing.

The escalation from an informal inquiry to a formal proceeding could potentially be avoided with the guidance of experienced bar admissions counsel at the outset of the Board’s inquiry, or at the outset of the applications process itself.

In handling Florida Bar grievance complaints, Ms. Conan approaches the attorney’s defense much like a criminal law attorney defends a client, because the bar complaint is considered true as filed, and the burden is on the attorney to prove that he or she did not commit professional misconduct.

Elizabeth S. Conan devotes her sole practice to representing applicants before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners and attorneys before The Florida Bar, having worked with the Orlando Branch Office of The Florida Bar as Staff Counsel from July 1999 to March 2006. She has handled hundreds of bar ethics and admission cases, and has litigated dozens of cases before the Florida Supreme Court, in addition to lecturing on ethics before national audiences.

If you are applying for law school or for the Florida Bar, are under inquiry by The Florida Board of Bar Examiners, or are being investigated by The Florida Bar, contact Ms. Conan for a free consultation at (321) 228-2228.

Contact Elizabeth Today For A Free Consultation!