Sunday, February 10, 2013

Florida Lawyer Gets Bar Boot For Role In Nationwide Loan Modification, Foreclosure Defense Racket


In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the South Florida Business Journal reports:

  • Fort Lauderdale attorney William Timothy O’Toole was permanently disbarred recently as part of the Florida Bar and Florida Supreme Court’s attorney discipline actions.

    In 2011, the Bar said it had received 20 complaints about O’Toole. In a petition for emergency suspension at the time, O’Toole was accused of allowing non-lawyers to improperly solicit clients on his behalf for loan modifications and foreclosure defense on a nationwide basis, despite the fact he can only practice law in Florida.

    He was alleged to have been splitting fees with non-lawyers, a violation of Bar rules. The Bar announced O’Toole’s disbarment in a monthly release that included discipline actions for five other attorneys in Florida in December and January.

    O’Toole’s permanent disbarment took effect on a Jan. 24 court order. He was found in contempt for failing to comply with a May 22 disbarment order, that might have allowed his reinstatement at some point if he had complied with conditions of the order. But the Bar said in a news release that O’Toole failed to comply with providing a sworn affidavit with names of people who had received a copy of his disbarment order.

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