Under the gun of a new discipline rule, Florida lawyers had better keep judges happy…or else

By Noreen Marcus, FloridaBulldog.org, October 31st:

Judges who want to punish lawyers for any reason now have a superpower that can derail careers, courtesy of the Florida Bar and the Florida Supreme Court …

“This was all cranked up by activist political judges,” said a lawyer who is familiar with the disciplinary system but has not personally been disciplined … “Passing things like this undermines public confidence in the judiciary.” …

Reacting to misconduct in their courtrooms, judges trust themselves to police the Bar more than they trust the Bar to police itself. That’s at least one law professor’s take on the situation …

The court’s Oct. 21 ruling “suspends all time periods, so there’s a sword of Damocles over your head and you have no right to a speedy resolution,” Lawyer B said …

COMING SOON – It’s Getting Chilly Out There: Rule 3-7.18’s Chilling Effect on the Representation of Criminally Charged Defendants …