A motorcycle accident in Sanford, Florida severed the leg of the biker. He sued the at fault party. There was not much to recover but he did get a modest settlement. His lawyer deposited the funds in his attorney trust account. Sadly, the lawyer did not preserve the personal injury settlement funds for his client. Instead the lawyer violated the rules regulating Florida lawyers and allegedly spent the proceeds of the motorcycle accident settlement. The lawyer used the client’s personal injury settlement funds to pay the lawyer’s own child support obligation!!!!! Incredibly, this was not the only misconduct the lawyer is accused of. In fact, the lawyer has been accused of mishandling six other cases including allegations of spending the settlement funds of another auto accident victim,.
Fortunately the lawyer was disbarred. That is good for the public but the settlement money was already lost and still is missing. Before hiring a lawyer all clients should get proof that the lawyer has malpractice insurance. They should also only hire a lawyer who is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law to handle any accident case. To get Board Certification lawyers must prove they are ethical and competent. Anyone can put out an ad on the TV or Internet. But a lawyer in Florida cannot claim they are specialists in injury cases unless they are Board Certified by the Florida Bar. Caveat Emptor applies even when hiring a lawyer to pursue a personal injury claim. To protect your family verify legal malpractice coverage and insist on a Board Certified Lawyer.
For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.
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