Bradenton attorney Julie Ann Parker has been suspended until further notice following a May 31 Florida Supreme Court order over allegations she misappropriated at least $7,340 from her trust account, according to a Florida State Bar report.
Parker's suspension was effective 30 days after the state court's order, according to a state bar July 31 report that announced the discipline and the order.
In Florida, court orders are not final until after time to file a rehearing motion expires. Filing such a motion would not alter the effective date of the Parker's suspension.
Parker, a managing partner of the Parker Law Group in Bradenton, attended Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School, graduating in 2001, and was admitted to the bar Sept. 19, of the same year, according to her profile at the state bar website. Parker has had no other discipline before the state bar for at least 10 years, according to her profile.
The state bar conducted an audit of her trust account for the period of Sept. 1, 2016, to Dec. 31, 2016, according to the bar's 29-page petition for emergency suspension filed with the court. Parker provided four check stubs that revealed she disbursed $7,340 to herself between Oct. 3, 2016, and Nov. 2, 2016, "funds that belonged to her clients and should not have been disbursed to Parker from the trust account", the petition said.
Notations on the four check stubs indicate the funds were sent to the "unclaimed property department", according to the petition. "A review of the website for the Florida Bureau of Unclaimed Property does not indicate that these funds have been remitted," the petition said.
"Ms. Parker was provided the opportunity to show that the $7,340 has remained in her possession, but she has not provided any documentation to show that she is still in possession of these funds," the petition said.
Based on the audit and investigator findings, Parker was alleged to have violated rules governing the safekeeping of property and compliance with trust accounting rules, as well as rules concerning trust accounts, according to the petition.