North Miami Beach attorney Mordechai L. Breier has been suspended for 30 days following a Jan. 11 Florida Supreme Court amended order after grievances were filed with the The Florida Bar by two former clients.
"In two separate instances, Breier represented homeowners in insurance claims," the state bar said in its announcement Feb. 27 of Breier's discipline and the Supreme Court's amended order. "Both clients were dissatisfied with services provided by Breier's firm, and filed grievances. A Bar audit found Breier shared fees with a non-lawyer consulting firm he had hired, and his closing [financial] statements to clients often did not reflect the actual amount of fees paid to the adjuster."
Breier's suspension was effective 30 days following the high court's two-page amended order to give him time to close out his practice and protect his existing clients' interests. Once he has served his suspension, Breier will be placed on a year of probation and he must pay almost $6,100 in costs, according to 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 Breier's suspension.
Breier was admitted to the Florida bar March 18, 2011, according to his profile at the state bar website. Breier has had no other discipline before the state bar, according to his profile and the consent judgment filed with the court. The judgment also includes Breier's conditional guilty plea.
Breier agreed that, while he is on probation, he will pay a certified public accountant "acceptable to the Florida Bar" to provide a monthly review his trust account records, according to the consent judgment. Breier also will be responsible for providing the state bar with quarterly statements which must specify whether he is complying with state bar rules for regulating trust accounts, according to the consent judgment.