Title: The Florida Bar Re: Joe Rawls Wolfe
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: SC94-573
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: September 14, 2000

Supreme 
Court 
of 
Florida
 
____________
No. SC94573
____________
THE FLORIDA BAR RE:
JOE RAWLS WOLFE
[September 14, 2000]
PER CURIAM.
This proceeding is before the Court on a petition to review the referee’s
findings of fact and recommendation that Joe Rawls Wolfe’s petition for
reinstatement to the practice of law be denied.  In 1995, Wolfe was suspended
from the practice of law for three years.  See Florida Bar v. Wolfe, 664 So.2d 250
(Fla. 1995).  We have jurisdiction.  Art. V, § 15, Fla. Const.  For the reasons
expressed herein, we reject the referee’s factual findings and recommendation and
order that Wolfe be reinstated as an active member of The Florida Bar.
In October 1995, Wolfe and counsel for the Bar signed a conditional guilty
plea for consent judgment.  On November 16, 1995, this Court accepted the plea in
an order in which this Court suspended Wolfe from the practice of law for three
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years to be followed by three years of probation.
In the plea, Wolfe stipulated to the following facts.  Wolfe was trustee of the
Baumgardner Trust, which a deceased client, Richard B. Baumgardner, Sr., had
created for his children.  Wolfe took funds from the Baumgardner Trust and used
them without the consent of trust beneficiaries to purchase mortgage receivables
from a real estate development company in which Wolfe owned a seventy-nine
percent interest.  Wolfe later, without notification to or consent from the trust
beneficiaries, loaned part of the trust’s funds to an apparel company in which he
owned a fifty-percent interest.  Wolfe also loaned himself money from his attorney
trust/escrow account.  Wolfe admitted to violating the following Rules Regulating
the Florida Bar:  rule 4-1.15(a) (failure to hold in trust certain funds of his clients
held in connection with his representation); rule 4-1.15(b) (failure to promptly
deliver to a client or third person funds that the client or third person is entitled to
receive); 4-8.4(a) (violation of or attempt to violate a disciplinary rule); rule 5-1.1(a)
(failure to apply funds of his clients only for specific purposes); rule 5-1.1(e)
(failure to place nominal or short-term funds of clients in an interest-bearing
account); rule 5-1.2(c)(1)(b) (failure to make monthly comparisons between the
total of reconciled balanced and the total of trust ledger cards); rule 5-1.2(c)(2)
(failure to annually prepare a detailed listing of unexpended funds held for each
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client); rule 5-1.2(c)(4) (failure to authorize and request banks on his trust accounts
to notify staff counsel of The Florida Bar in the event any trust account is returned
due to insufficient funds or uncollected funds).
In the Plea, Wolfe and the Bar agreed to the following discipline:
Respondent shall be suspended from the practice of law for a
period of three (3) years.  However, if Respondent makes payment of
$300,000.00, or obtains a full release of liability from the beneficiaries
of the Baumgardner Trust, within thirty (30) months (2½ years) from
the date of the suspension, Respondent shall be eligible to petition for
reinstatement after the expiration of the 30 month (2½ year) period
provided that all other requirements for the petition for reinstatement
have been satisfied, including, but not limited to, payment of the costs
of this proceeding.
The $300,000 payment amount is a repayment of sums owed by
Respondent to the Trust, but shall not be construed as full payment of
the amount due to the beneficiaries.  The actual and ultimate amount of
the indebtedness due the beneficiaries shall be determined by other
proceedings.
The plea provided that, upon reinstatement, Wolfe is to be placed on probation for
three years with conditions that during the probationary period, he undergo full
review by the Law Office Management and Advisory Service (LOMAS) of the Bar
and comply at his own expense with LOMAS recommendations.  Other conditions
of probation are that Wolfe shall advise the Bar upon the opening of any trust
account, shall submit quarterly reports in affidavit form to the Bar detailing financial
transactions and record keeping, and shall certify that he has complied with all trust
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accounting records and procedures as required by the Rules Regulating the Florida
Bar.  Wolfe is also to be subject to random trust account audits during the term of
the probation and must complete a trust accounting course.
The record reflects that prior to the filing of the plea, a civil action was filed
against Wolfe on behalf of the Baumgardner Trust.  This action resulted in a jury
verdict in favor of the Trust of $1.5 million compensatory damages and $3 million
punitive damages.  A settlement of $850,000 was paid in July 1998, and Wolfe
received a release from further civil liability.
Wolfe filed his motion for reinstatement on December 22, 1998.  The
reinstatement referee held a hearing at which Wolfe testified along with his character
witnesses and creditors.  The Bar presented testimony of the attorney representing
the beneficiaries of the Baumgardner Trust.  Three of the beneficiaries testified.  In
a report dated September 16, 1999, the referee found that Wolfe was not fit to
resume the practice of law in that he failed to present evidence of an unimpeachable
character.  The referee made the following findings of fact, in relevant part, as to
Wolfe’s fitness as to reinstatement:
A.
The Petitioner has met the conditions imposed during the period
of suspension and the procedural requirements of Rule 3-7.10. 
The only question for this referee to determine is the Petitioner’s
present fitness to resume the practice of law and whether the
Petitioner has presented evidence of an unimpeachable
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character.
. . . .
D.
There is clear evidence of Petitioner’s good reputation for
professional ability and of Petitioner’s lack of malice and ill
feeling toward those involved in the disciplinary proceeding. 
The Petitioner has made the appropriate assurances as to his
sense of repentance and his desire to conduct his law practice in
an exemplary fashion in the future.
E.
. . . The Petitioner’s claims regarding his efforts to fully
reimburse the trust beneficiaries prior to the case going to trial
were not supported by the evidence.
. . . .
G.
Petitioner practiced law for twenty-seven years without a
grievance or disciplinary proceeding and has never been
convicted of a crime.
H.
The Petitioner is not presently fit to resume the practice of law
in that he has failed to present evidence of an unimpeachable
character.  Although Petitioner has testified as to his remorse, he
has not engaged in any community work service or permissible
pro bono work (such as volunteering at the United Way
agency’s Consumer Credit Counseling service).  Although his
remorse seems sincere, he has not taken any action to restore
the public’s confidence in him as a trustworthy individual or to
recompense the bar for the damage he has done to the
reputation of the legal profession as a whole.  His actions, or
lack of action, have demonstrated that he has failed to grasp the
moral implications of his transgression; and therefore, prevents
a finding that he has presented evidence of unimpeachable moral
character.
The referee concluded, “I recommend that the Petitioner not be reinstated at this 
time.”
Wolfe challenges the referee’s factual findings and recommendation, claiming
that the referee’s finding that Wolfe has failed to present evidence of an
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unimpeachable character is not supported by the record and is contradicted by the
referee’s own findings.  Wolfe argues that his efforts to restructure his finances and
to reimburse the Baumgardner Trust during his suspension show that he does have
unimpeachable character.  Wolfe notes that the referee expressly stated that Wolfe
has met the conditions imposed during suspension and the procedural requirements
of rule 3-7.10 and has shown “clear evidence of Petitioner’s good reputation for
professional ability” as well as his “lack of malice and ill feeling toward those
involved in the disciplinary proceeding.”  Wolfe also notes that the referee found
that Wolfe “has made the appropriate assurances as to his sense of repentance and
his desire to conduct his law practice in an exemplary fashion in the future.”  Wolfe
also states that he has paid $850,000 in restitution; he disputes the referee’s finding
that his “claims regarding his efforts to fully reimburse the trust beneficiaries prior
to the case going to trial were not supported by the evidence.”  Finally, Wolfe notes
that the plea agreement between himself and the Bar contained no condition
precedent of community service or pro bono work in order for Wolfe to be
readmitted.  Accordingly, Wolfe argues that the reinstatement referee does not have
the power to change this Court’s order as to Wolfe or the case law by a post facto
condition.  We agree.
In determining the propriety of a petition for reinstatement, this Court
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considers the following criteria:  petitioner’s strict compliance with the disciplinary
order; evidence of petitioner’s unimpeachable character; clear evidence of
petitioner’s good reputation for professional ability; evidence of petitioner’s lack of
malice and ill feeling toward those involved in the disciplinary proceeding;
petitioner’s personal assurances of a sense of repentance and a desire to conduct
practice in an exemplary fashion in the future; and petitioner’s restitution of funds. 
See Florida Bar v. Grusmark, 662 So. 2d 1235, 1235-36 (Fla. 1995); Florida Bar re
Timson, 301 So. 2d 448, 449 (Fla. 1974).
The Bar argues in this appeal that Wolfe has not met his burden of showing
that the reinstatement referee’s report was erroneous, unlawful, or unjustified.  See
Grusmark, 662 So. 2d at 1236.  The Bar contends that Wolfe has not made full
restitution, does not show remorse, and has not proven his rehabilitation.  We reject
these arguments for the following reasons.
As to restitution, the Bar finds this case similar to Florida Bar re Hessler, 493
So. 2d 1029 (Fla. 1986), in which this Court decided an attorney would not be
reinstated absent full restitution of funds he had  misappropriated from an estate. 
The Bar argues that the payment to the Baumgardner Trust after the settlement was
less than actual losses to the beneficiaries and less than the jury award, and the fact
that Wolfe obtained a release from liability does not mean that he made full
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restitution.
To determine whether Wolfe should be reinstated, we may review the factual
basis for the referee’s recommendation by conducting an independent review of the
record.  See Florida Board of Bar Examiners v. R.D.I. 581 So. 2d 27, 29 (Fla.
1991).  Here, the record reflects that the attorney representing the Bar stated in the
reinstatement proceeding below that the Bar did not dispute that restitution was
paid.  (Transcript at 245.)  Moreover, even though the referee in her findings of fact
criticized Wolfe’s financial activities during the suspension period, the referee made
no express finding that full restitution was not paid to the trust beneficiaries. 
Rather, the referee wrote that the only issue for her determination was Wolfe’s
“present fitness to resume the practice of law and whether Petitioner has presented
evidence of unimpeachable character.”  The plea agreement provided that Wolfe
would be eligible to petition for reinstatement two and a half years from the date of
his suspension if he made a payment of $300,000 or obtained a full release of
liability from the beneficiaries of the Baumgardner Trust and satisfied other
requirements for the petition for reinstatement.  The record reflects that Wolfe, who
was in bankruptcy reorganization at the time, paid an $850,000 settlement to the
Baumgardner Trust in July 1998 and that the Baumgardner Trust beneficiaries then
released him from further liability.  Thus, we find that Wolfe has made the required
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restitution.
As to Wolfe’s showing of remorse, the referee stated that Wolfe “has made
the appropriate assurances as to his sense of repentance” and that his  “remorse
“seems sincere.”  However, the referee also found that, “although Petitioner has
testified as to his remorse,” Wolfe had failed to present evidence of unimpeachable
moral character and thus was not sufficiently rehabilitated to be reinstated.  The
referee based this finding solely upon Wolfe’s failure to perform pro bono or
community service activities during his period of suspension.
In urging us to affirm this factual finding of the referee, the Bar cites Florida
Board of Bar Examiners re J.C.B., 655 So. 2d 79 (Fla. 1995), in which this Court
denied readmission for a lawyer who had been disciplined for improperly using
funds belonging to his client.  We find J.C.B. to be distinguished from this case. 
First, the respondent in J.C.B. was disbarred rather than suspended and faced
criminal charges.  Id. at 80.  In J.C.B., this Court stated that the respondent had not
shown sufficient rehabilitation and that “the requirement of positive action is
appropriate for applicants for admission to the bar because service to one’s
community is an implied obligation of members of the bar.” Id. at 82 (quoting
Florida Bar Admission Rules, art. III, § 4.e.(7)).  However, in J.C.B., our denial of 
readmission also was based upon J.C.B.’s failure to show repentance and failure to
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pay longstanding debts.
Here, the referee and the Bar cite no cases in which a failure to perform
community service was the sole reason for denying reinstatement after a
suspension.  The referee’s report cites no rule requiring community service or pro
bono activity as an absolute precondition to reinstatement following suspension. 
Although we believe in most instances that community service or pro bono activity
should be a prerequisite to reinstatement, the plea agreement here, which was
signed by counsel for the Bar, contains no express requirement that Wolfe perform
community service or permissible pro bono activities during his period of
suspension.  Therefore, we find, pursuant to Grusmark, that the referee’s factual
finding as to Wolfe’s rehabilitation was unjustified.  Moreover, although we find
that Wolfe’s ethical violations were serious transgressions, we will not reconsider
the discipline the Bar required in the 1995 plea agreement.  We also note that Wolfe
has now been suspended from law practice for more than a year beyond the three-
year suspension that the Court imposed.  Accordingly, we reject the referee’s
recommendation that we deny Wolfe reinstatement to the practice of law.
We hereby reinstate Wolfe to active membership in The Florida Bar effective
immediately.  Wolfe shall be on probation for three years under the conditions of
probation specified in his plea agreement.  Judgment is entered for The Florida Bar,
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650 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, Florida 32399, for recovery of costs from
Joe Rawls Wolfe in the amount of $3,066.38, for which sum let execution issue. 
See Florida Bar v. Williams, 734 So. 2d 417, n.4 (Fla. 1999).
It is so ordered.
WELLS, C.J., and SHAW, HARDING, ANSTEAD, LEWIS and QUINCE, JJ.,
concur.
PARIENTE, J., concurs with an opinion, in which ANSTEAD, J., concurs.
THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS REINSTATEMENT.
PARIENTE, J. concurring.
I concur with the majority opinion.  I write separately, however, to urge The
Florida Bar to consider requiring community service hours as a prerequisite to
reinstatement to the Bar.  As the majority opinion points out, there is currently no
rule that requires community service or pro bono activity as an "absolute
precondition to reinstatement following suspension."  Majority op. at 10.  Further,
in this case the plea agreement signed by the Bar contained no express requirement
that Wolfe perform community service or permissible pro bono activities during his
period of suspension.  See id.  Notably, Rule Regulating the Florida Bar 4-6.1,
which governs the Bar's pro bono public service requirement, expressly exempts
suspended lawyers from the professional responsibility of rendering pro bono legal
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services to the poor and participating in other pro bono service activities.  Although
I understand that suspended lawyers should be precluded from providing any type
of pro bono legal services, there are a multitude of pro bono community services
that a suspended lawyer could appropriately perform.
In light of The Florida Bar's longstanding commitment to pro bono activities,
it is my hope that the Bar will study this matter and consider appropriate rule
changes that would accomplish the goal of emphasizing the importance of this
aspect of a lawyer's professional and civic responsibility.  Although pro bono
activities are aspirational for a practicing lawyer, these socially productive activities
seem especially appropriate as one means for the suspended lawyer to "earn" his or
her reinstatement to The Florida Bar. 
ANSTEAD, J., concurs.
Original Proceeding - The Florida Bar
Roland D. Waller of Waller & Mitchell, New Port Richey, Florida,
for Petitioner
John F. Harkness, Jr., Executive Director and John A. Boggs, Staff Counsel,
Tallahassee, Florida; and Thomas E. DeBerg, Assistant Staff Counsel, Tampa,
Florida,
for The Florida Bar, Respondent