TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court recently ordered a suspension for Orlando attorney Fatima Rita dos Santos Fahmy because of her alleged failure to comply with the conditions of her probation from a prior disciplinary ruling.
The suspension was to begin Jan. 20, according to court documents. Fahmy was to be suspended “until she fully complies with the terms and conditions” of the original order and was required to pay $1,250 in court fees. On March 21, 2017, Fahmy's profile page on the Florida Bar website said she was eligible to practice law in the state and is a “member in good standing.”
According to court documents, Fahmy was placed on a two-year probation and publicly reprimanded Dec. 3, 2015. As part of the order, the attorney was required to complete ethics school and attend a stress-management workshop. These conditions were communicated to Fahmy’s attorney, but she reportedly failed to complete either requirement. The Florida Bar requested a written account as to why the attorney did not attend the Ethics School sessions that had been scheduled for her.
In addition to the workshop and classes, Fahmy was required to undergo discipline/diversion consultation services for record-keeping analysis. A date was set in April 2016 and communicated with the attorney. However, the consultation fee was allegedly not paid by the attorney, and the DDCS session was canceled Further attempts at correspondence were made by the DDCS reviewer, but Fahmy failed to connect until a month after the the initial emails were sent.
The attorney was given more time to pay the balance on her DDCS review, but did not follow through and the session was canceled. Because of Fahmy’s failure to comply with the conditions of her probation, the Bar filed a petition for contempt.
The Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee is presided over by seven justices: Chief Justice Jorge Labarga, Barbara J. Pariente, R. Fred Lewis, Peggy A. Quince, Charles T. Canady, Ricky Polston, and C. Alan Lawson.