TALLAHASSEE (Florida Record) — Tampa attorney Shazia Nagamia Sparkman has been publicly reprimanded following a July 5 Florida Supreme Court order regarding allegations she left her staff unsupervised, according to a recent announcement by The Florida Bar.
"Shortly after being retained by a client and during the time period in question, Sparkman was absent from the office for several months," the state bar said in its July 31 announcement of the discipline and the Supreme Court's order. "Sparkman’s absence affected her ability to adequately supervise her staff. During her absence the staff was left mostly unsupervised and confused about their duties and responsibilities."
In its single-page order, the high court approved the uncontested referee's report filed in the matter before reprimanding Sparkman. She allegedly violated professional conduct rules, including those regarding dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, according to the referee's report..
Florida court orders are not final until time to file a rehearing motion expires. Filing such a motion does not alter the effective date of Sparkman's reprimand.
Sparkman was admitted to the bar in Florida on Jan. 27, 2005, according to her profile at the state bar website.
Allegations against Sparkman stemmed from an "extensive complaint" filed against her with the state bar in 2014 by her client in a divorce matter and the state bar filed its formal complaint against Sparkman in March 2017, according to the 37-page referee's report. The time period considered in the matter began in November 2013 when "Sparkman became consistently absent from the office as a result of her father's illness," the referee's report said.
"Ms. Sparkman did not return to the office to any regular effect until the end of February, after the death of her father on Feb. 17, 2014."
Testimony indicated that during Sparkman's absence from her firm's office, staff members were unsure about office protocol and their responsibilities in the office, according to the referee's report.
Sparkman's reprimand in July was not her first in Florida. She was publicly reprimanded in 2015, following a May Supreme Court order, after she allegedly failed to diligently represent clients in four matters. She also received a written admonishment following a state Supreme Court order in May 2012.