Florida Lawyer Sanctions 8.1

In Florida Bar v. Brown, 635 So. 2d 13, 13-14 (Fla. 1994), the Court found an individual to be in contempt of this Court and disbarred him for practicing law after resigning from the Bar in light of disciplinary allegations. In doing so, the Court held that a "clear violation of any order or disciplinary status that denies an attorney the license to practice law generally is punishable by disbarment, absent strong extenuating factors." Id. In Florida Bar v. Bauman, 558 So. 2d 994, 994 (Fla. 1990), the Court disbarred an attorney for practicing law during his six-month suspension, stating that "we can think of no person less likely to be rehabilitated than someone like respondent, who wilfully, deliberately, and continuously, refuses to abide by an order of this Court." These cases are consistent with Florida Standard for Imposing Lawyer Sanctions 8.1, which provides that disbarment is appropriate where an individual: (a) intentionally violates the terms of a prior disciplinary order and such violation causes injury to a client, the public, the legal system, or the profession; or (b) has been suspended for the same or similar misconduct, and intentionally engages in further similar acts of misconduct.