Broken Trust: Florida Disciplines Attorneys as Father-and-Son Personal Injury Lawyers Lose Their Licenses
People who hire a lawyer after an accident are trusting that person with their health, their money and often their future. Two recent reports show how badly that trust can be broken. In one set of orders announced October 1, 2026, the Florida Supreme Court disciplined numerous attorneys. Just days earlier, the ABA Journal reported that a father-and-son personal injury team had both been disbarred.
The ABA Journal reported on September 28, 2026, that "A pair of father-and-son Florida personal injury lawyers have been disbarred less than two years apart, and the most recent incident allegedly involved the father using the son's bar card to visit the son's mother in jail."
The Florida Supreme Court first disbarred the father in January 2025 over accusations of "using clients' money to fund his own personal expenses," according to the ABA Journal, which cited the Miami Herald. His son, Larry Powers III, did not answer three Bar requests to respond to the charges against him. The court approved his disbarment in August.
The Florida Bar's latest report adds to that picture. According to the Bar, "The Florida Supreme Court in recent court orders disciplined 20 attorneys, disbarring one, revoking the license of three, suspending 15, and reprimanding one."
The Bar also notes that "Disciplinary revocation is tantamount to disbarment." That means four lawyers lost their licenses in a single cycle. In one case, the Bar found that a Longwood attorney was "charged and collected improper, excessive fees, which resulted in a conflict of interest between Finch and his client." They also failed to keep required trust account records and contingency fee documents. The attorney was suspended for one year. Several other suspensions came after attorneys failed to answer official Bar inquiries at all.
Disciplinary actions are only one part of the story. Still, similar cases keep surfacing, including a California attorney fined for intentionally withholding information about a $53 million settlement from his clients, and a Florida attorney misappropriating almost $400,000 in client funds.
Clients rarely see how fees are calculated, how settlement money is handled or who benefits behind the scenes. Florida has already shown that lawsuit abuse reform can deliver real savings for drivers. Stronger transparency and accountability for the attorneys who handle clients' cases and money is the natural next step.
Lawmakers in Florida and across the country should put consumers first. That means requiring clear disclosure of attorney fees and referral relationships and strengthening protections for client funds. If you hired a personal injury attorney and felt exploited, misled or mistreated, PACT wants to hear from you. Share your story here.