Seven Palm Beach County attorneys disciplined

A 77-year old Boca Raton lawyer agreed to give up his law license after he was accused of stealing $4.2 million from a longtime client, according to the Florida Bar.

Craig Sherman, who is being sued in Palm Beach County Circuit Court by his client, Barry Smith, is among seven Palm Beach County attorneys and 23 statewide who were disciplined by the Florida Supreme Court in March and April.

Two other Palm Beach County attorneys were stripped of their ability to practice law, the Bar said this week.

Kip Kootz, of Ocean Ridge, was disbarred after he was convicted in Palm Beach County Court of driving under the influence. In researching Kootz’s criminal record, a prosecutor discovered the attorney had been convicted of DUI four times in Minnesota. In violation of professional rules, he failed to tell the Florida Bar about his convictions.

West Palm Beach lawyer David Jaynes was disbarred for ignoring an order that required him to tell clients, judges and other lawyers that his license had been suspended last year. The Supreme Court found him guilty of contempt of a court order.

Brian Becher, of Boca Raton, was prohibited from practicing for two years after the Supreme Court found that he “engaged in conduct contrary to honesty and justice,” the Bar said. He knowingly made false statements to a judge and helped multiple companies avoid being served foreclosure lawsuits, it said.

Joshua Hauserman, of West Palm Beach, lost his license for six months, retroactive to Oct. 21, after the court found he failed to adequately supervise a non-lawyer who worked in his office and failed to effectively communicate with a client about the status of a case.

Aaron Cohen, of Delray Beach, and Stafford Shealy, of Lantana, both received public reprimands. The court said Cohen failed to respond to requests for information from the Bar. Shealy didn’t immediately report his DUI conviction to the Bar.

jmusgrave@pbpost.com

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