Ponte Vedra Beach attorney will be publicly reprimanded

A currently suspended Ponte Vedra Beach attorney will be publicly reprimanded following a May 10 court order, according to a report received by Historic City News this morning from the state’s guardian for the integrity of the legal profession, The Florida Bar.

Neil Wayne Platock, 2 Northgate Drive, Ponte Vedra Beach, who was admitted to practice in 1985, was found in contempt for failing to comply in a timely manner with the terms of an August 25, 2016 court order.

Specifically, Platock was required to notify his clients, opposing counsel and tribunals of his two-year suspension, and provide a sworn affidavit to the Bar, within 30 days, listing the names and addresses of all persons and entities that were furnished a copy of his suspension order.

In recent court orders this month, the Florida Supreme Court disciplined 20 attorneys – disbarring three, revoking the licenses of seven, suspending six and publicly reprimanding four. Three attorneys received more than one form of discipline. Two were ordered to pay restitution and one was placed on probation.

As an official arm of the Florida Supreme Court, The Florida Bar and its Department of Lawyer Regulation are charged with administering a statewide disciplinary system to enforce Supreme Court rules of professional conduct for the 104,000-plus members of The Florida Bar.

Key discipline case files that are public record are posted to attorneys’ individual online Florida Bar profiles. Additional information on the discipline system and how to file a complaint are available at floridabar.org/attorneydiscipline.

Court orders are not final until time expires to file a rehearing motion and, if filed, determined. The filing of such a motion does not alter the effective date of the discipline. Disbarred lawyers may not re-apply for admission for five years. They are required to go through an extensive process that rejects many who apply. It includes a rigorous background check and retaking the bar exam. Historically, less than 5 percent of disbarred lawyers seek readmission.