TALLAHASSEE (Florida Record) — Orlando attorney Daniel Stephen Lapina faces voluntary disbarment following an Aug. 24 Florida Supreme Court order over irregularities in his client trust account, according to a recent announcement by The Florida Bar.
"The bar received notice that a check drawn on Lapina's law office trust account was dishonored because of insufficient funds," the state bar said in its Aug. 29 announcement of the discipline and the Supreme Court's order. "A compliance audit revealed Lapina failed to maintain the account in substantial compliance with the rules regulating The Florida Bar, resulting in shortages."
In its two-page order, the state high court approved Lapina's uncontested petition for disciplinary revocation, tantamount to disbarment, with leave to seek readmission after five years. Granting the petition served to dismiss all pending disciplinary cases against Lapina.
Lapina's disbarment will be effective 30 days from the date of the court's order to allow him time to close out his practice and protect his existing clients' interests, according to the high court's order. The court also ordered Lapina to pay almost $4,088 in costs.
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 Lapina's disbarment. Attorneys disbarred in Florida generally cannot reapply for admission for five years and must pass an extensive process that includes a rigorous background check and retaking the bar exam.
Lapina was admitted to the bar in Florida on April 28, 2005, according to his profile at the state bar website. Lapina had no prior history of discipline, according to his petition.
Allegations against Lapina stemmed from a state bar investigation that commenced receipt of an insufficient funds notice on Lapina's client trust account, according to Lapina's petition. The state bar conducted a compliance audit of Lapina's trust accounts for Jan, 1, 2017, through March 31, 2019, and requested records from Lapina.
The records demonstrated that Lapina was not in substantial compliance with the state bar's rules, which resulted in shortages, according to the petition.