Title: The Florida Bar v. Dougherty
Citation: 541 So. 2d 610
Docket Number: 72068
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: April 6, 1989

541 So. 2d 610 (1989)
THE FLORIDA BAR, Complainant,
v.
Tom K. DOUGHERTY, Respondent.
No. 72068.

Supreme Court of Florida.
April 6, 1989.
John F. Harkness, Jr., Executive Director and John T. Berry, Staff Counsel, Tallahassee, and Jan K. Wichrowski, Bar Counsel, Orlando, for complainant.
George E. Hovis, Clermont, for respondent.
PER CURIAM.
This disciplinary proceeding is before us for consideration of a referee's report finding professional misconduct. The referee recommends that Dougherty be privately reprimanded for mishandling a trust account. The Florida Bar (Bar) has petitioned for review seeking a public reprimand. We have jurisdiction and consider the case pursuant to rule 3-7.6 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar.[1] Art. V, § 15, Fla. Const. We agree that public reprimand is necessary.
Respondent Dougherty drafted the will of Louise Harris, and at her request upon her death he became trustee of an account created under the will, which named Pauline Zepp as lifetime beneficiary. The referee's report recites the following facts:
Based upon these findings of fact, the referee made the following recommendations of guilt:
In mitigation, the referee pointed out that:
The referee classified Dougherty's actions as "minor misconduct" and recommended the following discipline:
In its petition, the Bar argues that a private reprimand is insufficient in light of the number and nature of Dougherty's violations. We agree. In The Florida Bar v. Welty, 382 So. 2d 1220, 1223 (Fla. 1980), we pointed out that:
(Citations omitted; emphasis added.) Dougherty's actions cannot be considered minor misconduct where he invested substantial trust account funds without disclosure in ventures in which he held potentially conflicting interests. The potential for self-dealing is too great. Such actions constitute serious misconduct warranting substantial discipline. In light of Dougherty's cooperation in this proceeding, and his extensive personal and legal contribution to his community, we conclude that the following discipline is warranted.
Tom K. Dougherty is publicly reprimanded. He is placed on probation for a period of two years, commencing upon issuance of this opinion, during which time he must 1) take and pass the professional responsibility portion of the Florida bar exam; 2) notify the Bar of any trust agreement wherein he is named trustee; and 3) regularly submit his trust account records to the Bar for review. He is ordered to pay the costs of this proceeding. Judgment is entered against him for $1,944.79, for which sum let execution issue.
It is so ordered.
EHRLICH, C.J., and OVERTON, McDONALD, SHAW, BARKETT, GRIMES and KOGAN, JJ., concur.
[1]  The complaint and report were based on the former Florida Bar Integration Rule and Code of Professional Responsibility.