TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A Tallahassee attorney is suspended from practicing law for a year, according to the Florida Supreme Court. <\/p>\n
Shirley Linette Bates, who has been a member of the Florida Bar since 2005, \u201cfailed to adequately communicate, failed to move the cases in a timely manner, inadequately supervised a nonlawyer assistant and engaged in dishonest conduct,\u201d the Florida Supreme Court said. <\/p>\n
According to the formal complaint filed by the Florida Bar against Bates, the suspension stems from four separate matters, which \u201calleges a pattern of misconduct.\u201d <\/p>\n
In one 2020 case, a nonlawyer who worked with Bates told a client that a particular motion and an appeal would be $15,000. <\/p>\n
Later, after the initial motion was denied, Bates told the client if she wanted to file an appeal it would be an additional $5,000. The client questioned that and was told the nonlawyer had been wrong. <\/p>\n
The client agreed to pay $4,000 and was told the notice of appeal had been filed. According to court documents, the appeal was not filed. In her response to the bar, Bates claimed she told the client she would not file the appeal until she was paid. The client denies Bates\u2019 claim. <\/p>\n
In another case, Bates was appointed to represent a client in 2018. The client was found guilty in March 2019 and asked Bates to file an appeal and a motion to correct jail credit for time served while awaiting extradition. <\/p>\n
According to court documents, the judge said the client would be entitled to the extradition credit and that Bates would need to submit a written order one that. Documents show she told the judge she would do that. <\/p>\n
In September 2019, the court received a letter from Bates\u2019 client asking if an appeal had been filed, which it hadn\u2019t. Court documents show the motion for jail credit had not been filed either.<\/p>\n
More Tallahassee news: <\/p>\n
Another instance saw Bates tell a client she needed $5,500 in a bank cashier\u2019s check sent to her home address by FedEx, according to court documents. <\/p>\n
The client ended up hiring Bates and seeing no Notice of Appearance had been filed, questioned her about it. Bates sent the client an unsigned Notice of Appearance and a Certificate of Good Standing, which she claimed had been filed. <\/p>\n
According to court records, the Notice of Appearance was dated two weeks before Bates was hired in this particular case. <\/p>\n
The client\u2019s case was pending in the Middle District of Florida, however Bates never gained admission to the District Court for the Middle District of Florida. <\/p>\n
She told her client she had to schedule a swearing in ceremony, according to court documents. The Middle District\u2019s website said there is no swearing in ceremony, just the filling out of a form and a fee.<\/p>\n
After the case dragged on for several more months, the client asked for a full refund. According to the complaint, Bates offered a $3,500 refund but it was never received by the client. <\/p>\n
The last case listed in the complaint details a client Bates represented in two criminal matters. The client was released on probation on one case with peaceful contact and on pre-trial release with no contact in the other. <\/p>\n
The client\u2019s wife gave birth and he asked Bates if it would violate his release or probation to visit. According to the client, Bates said it would not be a violation. The client was arrested for violating the no contact order.<\/p>\n
Bates claimed she told her client she didn\u2019t know what his conditions were when he called. However, at a later hearing, Bates told the judge his conditions did not state no contact. <\/p>\n
Court records show Bates then waited two months before filing the motion to reinstate bond. <\/p>\n
Bates\u2019 suspension begins 30 days after a March 26 court order.<\/p>\n
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