Opinion ID: 1976214
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Florida Bar Admission

Text: Mr. Kleppin applied for admission to the Florida Bar in May 1996 and he passed its July 1996 examination. (R.435) The Florida Board of Bar Examiners denied admission the Florida Bar on June 2, 1998, after a hearing. (R. 84-95, 435) The Florida Board of Bar Examiners issued six Specifications, or charges, against Mr. Kleppin. The Specifications focused on Mr. Kleppin's criminal record and six instances of alleged lack of candor. In summary, the Specifications were as follows: (1) Mr. Kleppin engaged in the distribution or sale of illegal drugs, for which he was arrested twice and convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana. (2) He represented to his law school in November 1992, following his sentencing and incarceration, that he had interrupted his studies due to a family emergency, which was allegedly untrue. (3) He informed the Florida Bar that his conspiracy conviction in Prince George's County, Maryland was a misdemeanor charge, which was allegedly untrue. (4) He submitted an application for a consumer loan in 1990 in which he represented that he was employed as a Project Manager, which was allegedly untrue. (5) He represented in his law school application that he had owned a baseball card business while in college, which was allegedly untrue. (6) In a 1996 application to the post-graduate law program at The George Washington University Law School, he allegedly concealed his 1992 conviction, (i) by stating that it had occurred while he was an undergraduate and (ii) by failing to disclose that his law school career was interrupted by his incarceration. (R.86-89) Mr. Kleppin admitted Specifications (1), (2), (4), and (6) and he denied Specifications (3) and (5). (R.89-93) Based on these admissions and denials, the Board found Specifications (1), (2), (4), and (6) to have been proven and Specifications (3) and (5) to have been unproven. Id. The Board concluded that Mr. Kleppin's presentation was deficient of the extra effort required of all bar applicants attempting to demonstrate rehabilitation. (R.95) Accordingly, it recommended against his admission to the Florida Bar. Id. Mr. Kleppin's appeal to the Supreme Court of Florida was rejected in February 1999. (R.647)