The Florida Supreme Court in recent court orders disciplined eight attorneys, revoking the license of one, suspending six, and reprimanding one.
Shirley Linette Bates, P.O. Box 180876, Tallahassee, suspended for one year effective 30 days following a March 26 court order. (Admitted to Practice: 2005) Bates was retained to represent incarcerated clients in four separate matters including a civil suit and post-conviction actions. Bates failed to adequately communicate, failed to move the cases in a timely manner, inadequately supervised a nonlawyer assistant, and engaged in dishonest conduct.
Michael B. Halla, 187 Rolling Ct., Lancaster, TX, suspended for two years, effective immediately following a March 26 court order. (Admitted to Practice: 2017) Halla was convicted of two counts of criminally negligent homicide in Texas. He was driving at excessive speed when he struck and killed two people who were crossing the road.
Ariel Elise Mitchell, P.O. Box 12864, Miami, suspended for 75 days, ordered to attend Ethics School and Professionalism Workshop and payment of the Bar’s disciplinary costs, effective 30 days following a March 12 court order. (Admitted to Practice: 2016) Mitchell made factually incorrect statements to the court’s judicial assistant and to the press regarding the Bar’s investigation into allegations of her misconduct. Mitchell also made an incorrect statement to The Florida Bar about a witness in the underlying proceedings.
Brian Robert Pingor, 13575 58th St. N., Suite 200, Clearwater, suspended for 91 days effective 30 days following a March 26 court order. (Admitted to Practice: 1988) Pingor failed to report a felony charge and a misdemeanor conviction he received in two cases in 2021, as required by Rule 3-7.2 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar. In June 2021, Pingor was charged with Violation of a Risk Protection Order, a third-degree felony, for possessing firearms and ammunition, prohibited by an order of protection filed against him by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. The case was ultimately dismissed following completion of pretrial intervention. In August 2021, Pingor was charged with a misdemeanor DUI with property damage, in violation of his pretrial conditions. In November 2021, Pingor pled no contest to a reduced charge of Reckless Driving in relation to an incident for which he had been charged in August 2021.
Max Richard Price, Jr., 6701 Sunset Dr., Suite 104, Miami, public reprimand by publication in the Southern Reporter with The Florida Bar Ethics School and payment of The Florida Bar costs, effective 30 days following a March 19 court order. (Admitted to Practice: 1987) Price held co-counsel’s legal fee after a settlement in a civil case to seek payment of a legal fee from co-counsel in an unrelated legal matter. The disputed portion was held in Price’s trust account. The trial court ultimately entered a final judgment that exposed his client to potential risk for payment of the outstanding legal fee to the complainant. It was the client’s ultimate obligation to pay complainant’s outstanding legal fee from the settlement in the case.
Karmika Victoria Rubin, 111 2nd Ave. N.E., Suite 330, St. Petersburg, suspended for 30 days and ordered to attend the Bar’s Trust Accounting Workshop, effective 30 days following a March 19 court order. (Admitted to Practice: 2010) In three separate matters, Rubin neglected her clients’ cases and failed to adequately communicate with the clients. In one matter, Rubin assigned the matter to a contract attorney without the client’s knowledge and without the client’s permission to disclose confidential information. Rubin also failed to adequately maintain trust accounting records.
Halford George Schuhmacher, 10887 Overseas Hwy., Marathon, suspended for 10 days, public reprimand by publication in the Southern Reporter, and payment of the Bar’s costs, effective 30 days following a February 26 court order. (Admitted to Practice: 1994) Schuhmacher failed to appear at multiple court hearings over multiple dates on behalf of multiple clients. He scheduled himself to be in multiple courthouses in different locations at the same time, without obtaining coverage counsel or otherwise obtaining a continuance from the courts.
Michael Stephen Stanfield, 4812 San Juan Ave., Jacksonville, disciplinary revocation with leave to reapply effective 30 days following a March 26 court order. (Admitted to Practice: 1996) The court approved Stanfield’s Petition for Disciplinary Revocation by Order dated March 26. Stanfield had four pending disciplinary cases involving client neglect and a disciplinary case based on a misdemeanor conviction for reckless driving.
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