Case Title: The Florida Bar v. CONSOLIDATED BUS., ETC.

Citation: 386 So. 2d 797

Docket Number: 

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 1980-06-05T00:00:00Z

Document:
386 So. 2d 797 (1980)
THE FLORIDA BAR, Petitioner,
v.
CONSOLIDATED BUSINESS AND LEGAL FORMS, INC., Etc., Respondent.
No. 53702.

Supreme Court of Florida.
June 5, 1980.
Rehearing Denied September 3, 1980.
Ronald R. Richmond, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Unauthorized Practice of Law, New Port Richey, Martin Errol Rice, Bar Counsel, St. Petersburg, and H. Glenn Boggs, Asst. Staff Counsel-UPL, Tallahassee, for The Florida Bar, petitioner.
Stephen D. Hughes, Largo, for respondent.
*798 PER CURIAM.
Petitioner, The Florida Bar, filed a petition in this Court pursuant to article V, section 15, Florida Constitution, charging the respondent corporation, Consolidated Business and Legal Forms, Inc., with engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. We issued an order directing respondent to show cause why it should not be enjoined from the unauthorized practice of law. Subsequently, respondent filed a motion to dismiss which was denied by this Court. Circuit court Judge David F. Patterson, appointed by this Court as referee, conducted hearings in this matter and on June 26, 1979, filed his findings and recommendations with the Court. Because of the comprehensive manner in which the referee dealt with this cause, we set out in full his findings and recommendations:
In addition to the foregoing the Referee finds:
Respondent filed exceptions to the foregoing findings and recommendations of the referee on the ground that the findings were not supported by substantial evidence. In a later filed brief, respondent asserts that even if the findings were supported by the evidence it is constitutionally impermissible to enjoin respondent's conduct. Respondent cites as authority for this proposition United Transportation Union v. State Bar of Michigan, 401 U.S. 576, 91 S. Ct. 1076, 28 L. Ed. 2d 339 (1971); United Mine Workers v. Illinois State Bar Ass'n, 389 U.S. 217, 88 S. Ct. 353, 19 L. Ed. 2d 426 (1967); Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Virginia ex *801 rel. Virginia State Bar, 377 U.S. 1, 84 S. Ct. 1113, 12 L. Ed. 2d 89 (1964); and NAACP v. Button, 371 U.S. 415, 83 S. Ct. 328, 9 L. Ed. 2d 405 (1963).
After carefully reviewing the evidence, we approve and adopt the findings and recommendations of the referee. As we have stated on other occasions, this Court will not reverse the findings of a referee unless the findings are clearly erroneous or wholly lacking in evidentiary support. The Florida Bar, 323 So. 2d 257 (Fla. 1975), State ex rel. The Florida Bar v. Bennett, 246 So. 2d 107 (Fla. 1971), The Florida Bar v. Wagner, 212 So. 2d 770 (Fla. 1968). Respondent has failed totally to demonstrate that the findings of the referee are without support in the record, much less that they are clearly erroneous. The conclusory statements made in the exceptions to the referee's report are not supported by record reference. On the other hand, The Florida Bar directs us to specific pages in the transcript of the testimony which support the referee's findings.
Respondent's assertion that his conduct cannot be constitutionally proscribed is equally without merit. Each of the authorities relied on by respondent is bottomed on associational rights arising out of the first amendment to the United States Constitution. No such rights are involved here.
Synthesized, the report of the referee reflects the inherent danger of the intervention of lay persons or organizations in the attorney-client relationship. The actual practices of the respondent demonstrate vividly the conflict which inheres in such a relationship. The old admonition that "one cannot serve two masters" is borne out by this record. See Garcia v. Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, 384 F. Supp. 434 (W.D.Tex. 1974); The Florida Bar v. Goodrich, 212 So. 2d 764 (Fla. 1968); State Bar Ass'n of Connecticut v. Connecticut Bank and Trust Co., 145 Conn. 222, 140 A.2d 863 (1958). Respondent's assertion that the employment contract between the corporate employer and the individual attorney precludes any such intervention or conflict is plainly repudiated by the evidence in this case which demonstrates the actual manner in which the respondent delivers legal services.
Accordingly, the findings and recommendations of the referee are approved and adopted by this Court and the respondent is permanently enjoined from providing legal services to the public.
It is so ordered.
ENGLAND, C.J., and ADKINS, BOYD, OVERTON, SUNDBERG and McDONALD, JJ., concur.
ALDERMAN, J., concurs specially with an opinion.
ALDERMAN, Justice, concurring specially.
I concur that respondent is guilty of unauthorized practice of law and should be permanently enjoined from this unlawful activity. Additionally, I would remand this cause to the referee to consider the Bar's request for assessment of costs and to recommend the amount of costs to be assessed, if any.