TALLAHASSEE (Florida Record) — Oviedo attorney Mark Vernon Morsch has been permanently disbarred following a May 25 Florida Supreme Court order over allegations he practiced law under a previous disbarment, according to a recent announcement by The Florida Bar.
"Morsch was found in contempt for practicing law while disbarred," the state bar said in its June 29 announcement of the discipline and the Supreme Court's order. "He was disbarred from the practice of law effective June 29, 2012, for misappropriation of client trust funds."
In its single-page order, the state high court approved the referee's report filed in the matter, which recommended permanent disbarment, before disbarring Morsch and ordering him to pay a little more than $3,392 in costs. Because Morsch already was disbarred, his permanent disbarment was effective immediately.
Florida court orders are not final until time to file a rehearing motion expires. Filing such a motion would not alter the effective date of Morsch's permanent disbarment. Morsch was admitted to the bar in Florida on Dec. 20, 1985, according to his profile at the state bar website.
Attorneys disbarred in the state generally cannot reapply for admission for five years and then they must pass an extensive process that includes a rigorous background check and retaking the bar exam.
After his disbarment, Morsch did not seek readmission and he remained ineligible to practice law in Florida.
In January 2015, Morsch allegedly prepared two separate documents granting himself power of attorney over two people with whom he did not have a prior relationship and later filed documents as power of attorney for both, according to the state bar's petition for contempt and order to show cause filed this past January. "All letters were written on respondent's letterhead and not the letterhead of an employing attorney," the petition said.
In a sworn statement in September 2016, Morsch "admitted under oath that he had direct contact with clients while employed by attorney Justin Rickman as an investigator and paralegal," the petition said.