The Reason for Victims of The System
In January, 1994 my husband and I retained two attorneys, Ronald C. Kopplow and Marc Cooper, to pursue a malpractice claim against our former certified public accountants, the firm of Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Co. Messrs. Kopplow and Cooper committed gross negligence and severe ethical violations in handling the malpractice claim, and in so doing, caused us financial ruin, including the loss of our successful company of many years, Baron’s Stores, Inc. To recover for their gross negligence and civil violations against us, a legal malpractice lawsuit was filed on our behalf against Messrs. Kopplow and Cooper on September 7, 1999 in Dade County, Florida.
The Florida Bar is very clear that civil violations are separate and distinct from ethical violations, and should be treated accordingly. Therefore, on July 21, 1998, we filed a Grievance with The Florida Bar against Kopplow and Cooper for their unethical conduct. The ethical violations committed, according to the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, should have caused Messrs. Kopplow and Cooper to be disbarred. Instead, we were advised by the then Assistant Staff Counsel, Cynthia Ann Lindbloom of the Miami branch office of The Florida Bar, that our grievance had been dismissed as having no probable cause and claiming it was simply a “fee dispute.” This totally false and grossly misleading response to our Grievance compelled us to investigate the root of such an answer. We became committed to finding out the truth about the legal system. Through our ongoing research and investigation, we discovered how the infrastructure at The Florida Bar works. What we have uncovered, and now disclose to the citizens of Florida, will allow the public to understand that their rights are not being protected by the present legal system, but rather certain attorneys are being protected by the system at the expense and to the detriment of the public.
H ere is what we found out in our investigation:
All attorneys licensed to practice law in the state of Florida must be a member of The Florida Bar and governed by the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar.
Grievances against members of The Florida Bar submitted by the public are reviewed by Grievance Committees comprised of two-thirds attorneys and one-third lay people.
Grievances can be dismissed, at the administrative level, prior to presentation to a Grievance Committee.
A “fee dispute” is a reason to dismiss a Grievance at the administrative level.
The public has no right to appeal an administrative level decision not to send the Grievance to a Committee for review and determination.
The Florida Bar created Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company to provide malpractice insurance to attorneys practicing in Florida.
The Executive Director of The Florida Bar, who is a significant part of the Disciplinary process, sits on the Board of Directors of Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.
The Florida Bar reviews Grievances filed against attorneys insured by Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.
In our particular case, Mr. Kopplow and Mr. Cooper are insured by Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company. In our particular case, Mr. Kopplow has been an employee and/or agent of Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company in the capacity of a defense attorney representing lawyers who have been sued for legal malpractice. In our particular case, The Florida Bar ruled upon our Grievance and said that, at an administrative level, our Grievance involved a fee dispute and therefore should not go to a Grievance Committee. The Grievance that we submitted involved numerous and severe ethical violations and had absolutely nothing to do with a fee dispute. It became clear to us, as it should to all citizens of Florida, that a Conflict of Interest exists when The Florida Bar is asked to deal with ethical violations which may have a bearing on suits brought for civil violations against members insured by Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company. The Florida Bar, in essence, exerts control over the legal malpractice system in the state of Florida by controlling the process of sanctioning the unethical behavior of members insured by Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company. It is not only unfair to citizens of Florida who suffer from these ethical violations, it would appear to be unfair to the other malpractice insurers in the state of Florida.
The site for Victims of the System and the activities of this organization are centered around changing this process. It is our challenge to correct such an unfair system that can destroy the lives of unsuspecting people like you and me.
I have been pursuing The Florida Bar for over two years. I have supplied The Florida Bar with more than five hundred pages of documents supporting my allegations of unethical conduct against Messrs. Kopplow and Cooper. Since January, 2000 I have requested numerous times that The Supreme Court of Florida exercise their jurisdiction over The Florida Bar to allow me an impartial and acceptable panel to hear my grievance. The Florida Bar and The Supreme Court of Florida continue to deny me my due process under the law. My civil rights are being violated.
I have written to Governor Jeb Bush, State Attorney General Bob Butterworth, and Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson. State Attorney Butterworth’s office refused to investigate. I have yet to hear from Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson. At the suggestion of Governor Jeb Bush I am seeking counsel from a capable private attorney to pursue an action against The Florida Bar and wish to thank Governor Bush for his response and directions.
Attorneys that I have talked to have been very reluctant to take on The Florida Bar. But somewhere out there is an attorney who loves the law, believes in the law, is knowledgeable of the law, respects the law, and is willing to represent the law for the benefit of the public that he or she is duty bound to serve and protect. An attorney who took the oath of service, as an Officer of the Court, to see that truth and justice prevails.
I believe we all have a purpose. I believe out of adversity comes good. I believe that our experience can help pave the way for much needed reforms in our legal system. Victims of the System is here to help those who have suffered financial and emotional distress at the hands of their former attorneys. This is the reason for Victims of the System.
