13 Lawyers Disciplined By Florida Supreme Court
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| Florida Courtroom. Credit: U.S. General Services Administration |
The Florida Supreme Court in recent court orders disciplined 13 attorneys, disbarring six, revoking the license of one, suspending five, and reprimanding one.
Daniel Newton Brodersen, 1238 East Concord St., Orlando, permanent disbarment, effective immediately following a July 24 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1987)
Between 2017 and 2020, Brodersen was employed by a company and acted as trustee of a private member association where he engaged in various activities that constituted the unlicensed practice of law. These activities violated his disciplinary revocation order entered on April 13, 2017, by the Supreme Court of Florida. He provided the company with in-house legal services and as trustee of the private member association, he routinely met with prospective members to sell them on the benefits of paying a substantial sum of money to join the association. Broderson assured prospective members that membership would give them access to legal assistance in fighting their pending foreclosure cases and he reviewed the membership agreement with them. He also reviewed the legal documents prepared by the law firm that provided the legal services to the members and acted as a conduit for transmitting information between the members and the law firm.
Debbie Rachelle Campbell, 420 S. Dixie Hwy, Suite 2B, Coral Gables, suspended until further order of the court effective 30 days following a July 2 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2012)
Campbell was held in contempt for her failure to comply with a subpoena duces tecum for trust account records served on her by the Bar on December 27, 2023.
John William Dill, 941 W. Morse Blvd., Suite 100, Winter Park, disciplinary revocation with leave to apply for readmission in five years effective 30 days following a June 27 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1993)
The Florida Bar conducted a compliance audit of Dill’s trust account for the period of May 1, 2019, through November 30, 2023. The records demonstrated that Dill was not in substantial compliance with the Rules Regulating Trust Accounts, resulting in shortages.
Todd J. Herman, 1 E. Broward Blvd., Suite 700, Ft. Lauderdale, suspended for 91 days effective immediately following a July 29 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2010)
Herman was held in contempt, suspended from the practice of law for 91 days, and ordered to fully respond to official Bar inquiries prior to seeking reinstatement.
John Spencer Jenkins, 101 NE 3rd Ave., Suite 1500, Ft. Lauderdale, permanent disbarment effective immediately following a July 25 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2012)
Jenkins was hired to assist in the distribution of an uncontested estate. The personal representative was unable to reach Jenkins after funds were deposited into Jenkins’ trust account. In this same estate matter, Jenkins received several deposits into his trust account totaling $637,813.75. However, these funds were depleted with no evidence that the funds were withdrawn for the benefit of the estate. Jenkins did not participate in Bar disciplinary proceedings, and a default judgment was entered.
Lorraine Johns, 38053 Live Oak Ave., Dade City, suspended effective 30 days following a July 22 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2001)
Johns was suspended until further notice for failure to respond to an official Bar inquiry.
Miguel Fernando Mirabal, 5201 Orduna Dr., Apt. 7, Coral Gables, disbarred effective 30 days following a July 11 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2004)
Mirabal was disbarred for repeatedly certifying as correct campaign finance reports he knew were false, making material misrepresentations and omissions in his application to fill a judicial vacancy with the Judicial Nominating Commission and for his misconduct during the disciplinary proceedings.
Frank T. Noska, P.O. Box 254, Palm Beach, disbarred effective immediately following a July 25 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1982)
As counsel for the plaintiff in a civil action, Noska failed to keep the client reasonably informed about the status of the litigation, failed to respond to the official inquiries of the Bar, and he abandoned his law practice.
David W. Palmer II, 171 Eglin Pkwy. NE, Ft. Walton Beach, suspended for three years effective 30 days following a July 18 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1960)
The Florida Bar charged Palmer with violating Rules 4-3.1 and 4-8.4(d) after he repeatedly filed challenges to adverse final orders entered against him in an ownership dispute over a dirt road abutting his property and maintained by the county.
After the circuit court entered an adverse final order which was later upheld on appeal, Palmer filed several more unsuccessful appeals and filed a frivolous lawsuit in federal court raising the same issues against the same defendant. His actions spanned a period of several years and resulted in multiple sanction orders.
A referee recommended findings of guilt for both rule violations charged, a 75-day suspension from the practice of law, and imposition of a portion of the Bar’s costs. Palmer appealed the recommended findings of guilt, and The Florida Bar cross-appealed the recommended discipline and the recommended imposition of only a portion of the Bar’s costs. The Florida Supreme Court approved the referee’s findings of fact and recommendations as to guilt but disapproved of the recommended discipline and recommended imposition of costs. Instead, the court suspended Mr. Palmer from the practice of law for a period of three years and awarded the full costs sought by the Bar.
Alejandro Rivera, 99 Wall St., #200, New York, NY, disbarred effective 30 days following a July 25 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2011)
Rivera moved out of state and later closed his Florida law office. He left his clients without any means of contacting him, effectively abandoning them because he failed to update his address as required. Two of his clients faced the catastrophic consequence of nearly having their bankruptcy cases dismissed until they hired new counsel who managed to prevent the dismissals. Rivera also failed to appear at four consecutive court hearings for a bankruptcy client, resulting in orders to show cause issued by the bankruptcy court and a sanctions order, which Rivera ignored. The presiding judge filed a grievance with the Bar. After Rivera became aware of the pending Bar grievance, he provided a written response to the Bar in which he repeatedly impugned and disparaged the judge.
James Dalton Saunders, 16210 Shaker Blvd., Shaker Heights, OH, disbarred effective immediately following a July 25 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1998)
Saunders was convicted of two felony counts of voter fraud. In the 2020 presidential election and 2022 general election, Saunders voted in both Ohio and Florida. He received an 18-month prison sentence for each count, to run consecutively.
Brooks Richard Siegel, 3323 NE 163rd St., Suite 301, North Miami Beach, public reprimand effective immediately following a June 27 court order and ordered to attend Ethics School within 6 months of the court order approving consent judgment. (Admitted to practice: 2017).
This is a reciprocal discipline matter that arose out of a disciplinary proceeding in Arizona. Siegel was found to have acted negligently in the handling of a lemon law claim after not adequately communicating with his client and failing to properly supervise his assistants.
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