A lawyer has been mentioned in these pages before. It all began with A Disciplined Attorney and Repercussions (September 2018). That was a reasonably long time ago, in what some refer to as "BP," which is before, and could be pandemic or panic depending on your views and conclusions. That post lists eight people who may have been impacted by an attorney to the tune of over three hundred thousand missing dollars. The story in 2018 was about the attorney asking the Florida Supreme Court to disbar him and it agreeing.
Mr. Douglas next made the news when he was Then Arrested (August 2020). That post recounts that the clients who were ill-treated had voiced "complaints to 'The Florida Bar and the Davie Police Department.'" That is a point on which I am fairly clear with people. When you think a crime has been committed, the proper person to tell your story to is a policeman or prosecutor. There is some inclination to call or write to me when those perceptions arise, and I am certainly no policeman. Mr. Douglas was arrested in 2020.
To be fair, that was at the height of the pandemic or panic. Some believe that various courts essentially shut down in that era. Nonetheless, that seems like a very long time ago.
In an unrelated matter, I posted Petition for Disciplinary Revocation (August 2022). That recounted a tale of another lawyer who was accused of taking things that did not belong to him. He sought and was granted disbarment. That case was likewise referred to the State Attorney.
No news has surfaced about criminal prosecution since. However, the Legal Newsline published a report in May 2023 about a former client suing that law firm for "malpractice, fraud, and other claims." There was a report by Law360 of Georgia reciprocally disbarring the attorney. The current state of affairs is unclear.
I wish this were a more novel story. Google "lawyer stole money" sometime. When I did, recently, I easily found allegations published in Kentucky, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Tennessee, Mississippi, and more. Apparently, "all the cool kids are doing it." I tried that excuse one time with my mom. The results were less than spectacular from my perspective.
Some of those stories included a novel and unexpected outcome. The accused who were found guilty were committed to an incarceration facility. You know, a jail or prison. They were put away, confined, taken into custody. In short, there were repercussions from their decisions.
Returning to Mr. Douglas, who was arrested in 2020. His criminal case concluded in February 2025. The public records in case number 20000099CF10A in Broward County, DV19001199 seem to suggest that the outcome there was a built adjudication and ten years of probation, and restitution was ordered both regarding the "victims" and "Fla. Bar." There is also mention of continued medical care and treatment.
There is a great deal of trust in the attorney-client relationship. Attorneys are given access to their clients' deepest secrets, mental impressions, suspicions, and more. The client is literally placing themself in the lawyer's hands. The lawyer has much about which to be wary, careful, and conscientous. It is fair to say that too often that trust is being violated and even abused (one instance of a lawyer stealing someone's money is too often).
We find ourselves in a complex world. There are a multitude of reasons that might compel someone to hire an attorney, to trust an attorney, to believe in an attorney's promises and commitments. The client deserves communication, confidence, and compliance. When money is due to them, they deserve to receive it rather than their attorney
using it "to fund a lavish lifestyle" or
"gambling it all away" or
to "buy a puppy."
The recurrence and trend are troubling. The stories errode public confidence in the profession and damage the reputation of thousands of ethical, professional, caring, dedicated, and honest attorneys who devote a lifetime to helping people through the most desperate and challenging moments of their lives.
