Florida Bar Loan Mod Probe Ends In Disbarment For Attorney Who Essentially Rented His Law License To Non-Lawyers To Run Upfront Fee-Clipping Scam

In West Palm Beach, Florida, The Palm Beach Post reports:

• An attorney who operated a Boca Raton-based mortgage modification and foreclosure defense firm was disbarred this week for splitting fees with non-lawyers, improperly soliciting clients and not providing promised services.
  
  William Timothy O’Toole, who was a founder of the Summit Legal Group, was previously placed on emergency suspension. His disbarment is effective immediately and shall last for a period of at least five years. He has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1992.
  
  “The non-lawyer staff misled clients to believe that (O’Toole) would represent them in their foreclosure defense cases in their states even though respondent could not provide those services because he was only licensed in Florida,” a Florida Bar report said. “Clients paid Summit Legal Group fees in varying amounts for services that were not rendered or completed.”

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• In a deposition, O’Toole admitted that he gave almost exclusive control of Summit Legal Group to the non-lawyers who controlled all the contact with clients, from the initial call to advising the client of the outcome of their case.

For the story, see Attorney with Boca Raton-based loan modification firm disbarred.