Florida Supreme Court rejects ex-public defender’s guilty plea to ethics violations
MAR 18, 2021 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: MAR 19, 2021
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Former Jacksonville public defender Matt Shirk’s conditional guilty plea filed last month with the Florida Supreme Court was rejected.
Shirk had agreed to plead guilty to violating several rules of the Florida Bar — including the Rules of Professional Conduct, violation of the oath taken by a lawyer to support the constitutions of the US and Florida, providing competent representation to a client and others — in exchange for a six-month suspension from practicing law.
The suspension would have taken effect 30 days from the date of the final order, but the Supreme Court said it considered the conditional plea for consent judgment and rejected it.
“The Florida Bar is hereby directed to prepare and file a formal complaint against Matt Shirk,” the Court wrote.
The issues stem from Shirk’s time as a public defender in Jacksonville from 2009-2017.
A grand jury investigation into his actions in office eventually got sent to the Florida Commission on Ethics, which led to public censure, reprimand and a $6,000 civil penalty.
The Houston Chronicle Reported in 2009 that Secrecy is Protecting Judges Behavin’ Badly. LIT Asks Y’all – What’s Changed in 2020?
Only seven judges in the last decade have faced formal disciplinary action as a result of the nation’s secretive misconduct review process. In that same period, citizens filed more than 6,000 formal misconduct complaints.
Florida Attorney Who Owned a Strip Club Disbarred for Stealing Client Funds. No Mention of Jail or an Indictment. Who’s on the VIP Client List?
Disbarred Florida Lawyer Brett Hartley misappropriated funds from multiple clients and then made intentional misrepresentations to presiding judges in order to conceal what he had done. Hartley also neglected client matters and failed to properly assure that his clients’ interests were protected when he was indefinitely suspended from the practice of law in a previous matter.
What do Deutsche Bank, Bear Stearns, VICI, Susquehanna Bank and Crap Tables Have in Common?
Eric L. Hausler previously served as senior vice president of development for Trump Entertainment Resorts, Inc. and in various roles with Bear Stearns & Co. Inc., Susquehanna Financial Group and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
