TALLAHASSEE (Florida Record) — Coral Gables attorney Andrew Michael Kassier, first admitted to the bar in Florida nearly 37 years ago, was briefly suspended earlier this month following a March 1 Florida Supreme Court order for allegedly mishandling an adoption case, according to a recent announcement by The Florida Bar.
Kassier's 10-day suspension was effective 30 days from the court's order to allow him time to close out his practice and safe guard the interests of his existing client.
"Kassier was retained to handle an adoption case but he failed to complete the work, the state bar said in its April 30 announcement of the discipline and the Supreme Court's order."The client subsequently retained new counsel, and Kassier refunded the legal fees after a grievance was filed with the bar."
In Florida court orders are not final until time to file a rehearing motion expires. Filing such a motion would not have altered the effective date of the Kassier's suspension.
Kassier was admitted to the bar in Florida on April 3, 1981, according to his profile at the state bar website.
The state Supreme Court's action in March marked the first time in about 20 years that Kassier has been suspended from practice in Florida. Kassier was placed on emergency suspension in February 1997 "as a result of his failure to provide bank records to the bar, issuing a multitude of worthless checks and abandoning his clients' matters," said a referee's report issued in December 2009.
In May 1998 Kassier was suspended for a year, followed by three years' probation, after the state bar found shortages in his trust account, he failed to respond to bar inquiries and he failed to keep "reasonably informed" about the status of their case, the referee's report said.
In its 2009 report, the referee recommended Kassier be reinstated to practice law in Florida, and the Supreme Court did so the following January and also placed him on three years' probation, according to the court's order at the time. The high court also ordered Kassier to pay about $1,680 in costs.