Florida Bar opens file on Shapiro's attorney

[Southcane]

Since it wasn't taken from a paid site, I thought it was Okay to copy and paste.

From the Miami Herald:

The Florida Bar has opened a preliminary investigation into possible ethics violations by the Miami attorney paid by the NCAA to get information not otherwise obtainable in its probe of the University of Miami athletic program.

Bar officials said Friday they opened a file on attorney Maria Elena Perez, based on news reports of her involvement in the NCAA’s investigation.

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” said Perez, a graduate of UM’s law school.

The Bar staff’s probe, focusing on a potential conflict of interest, could go nowhere or be referred for review.

On Wednesday, the NCAA said its investigators “improperly” obtained information by working too closely with Perez, the criminal defense attorney for Nevin Shapiro, a former UM booster who admitted he gave cash to Hurricanes’ athletes. Shapiro, a businessman convicted of a Ponzi scheme, is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

NCAA officials admitted the association paid Perez for taking the December 2011 depositions of two witnesses she subpoenaed to testify in the bankruptcy case of Shapiro’s former investment company.

Under NCAA policy, the association’s investigators did not have the power to issue subpoenas to compel the testimony of a former UM assistant equipment manager and a sports agent.

Perez told The Miami Herald that she took the depositions as part of her strategy to corroborate Shapiro’s version of events and to seek a reduced prison sentence.

“Nevin is and always has been my primary concern,” she said.



Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/26/3201094/florida-bar-opens-file-on-miami.html#storylink=cpy

How can she say that (bold italic) if she billed the NCAA for portion of those depositions? If her work was solely on behalf and exclusively for the good of her client wouldn't her billing the NCAA be fraudulent billing? So either she is lying by saying she did not do work for the NCAA or she didn't do work on their behalf but billed them anyway! She is opening up herself for all kind of trouble.

 

[AsylumGodfather]

WE SKATE!!!

 

[Miami04]

:emotcanes:

 

[SpikeUM]

The law and logic dont always agree. For the lawyers out there, is she at risk at all?

 

[AllAmeriCANE]

Cool thread. Saw it in the WEZ yesterday.

Would read again anyway.

 

[BoriCane]

Wouldn't be the first time she is investigated..........

http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/adminOrders/2010/2010-51.pdf

 

[PUNCICANE]

Karma's coming for that Slota!

 

[bacane]

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” said Perez, a graduate of UM’s law school


Sorry, that's why we have investigations, Ms. Perez

 

[MadCane]

At this point Donna needs to shift her focus from the medical school to the law school, as there are so many examples out there of how embarrassingly bad it is.

 

[nadiamufdi]

Dec 2011 is when that was taken. SMDH @ the NCAA taking this long and ******** us over

 

[The Franchise]

The law and logic dont always agree. For the lawyers out there, is she at risk at all?

If this went down the way I think it did, then she's toast. Apparently, the dumb *** got herself involved in all kinds of ethical (and potentially illegal) activities when she decided to use the bankruptcy forum to pull off an end around for the NCAA. Greed can be a motherfugger.

 

[dycane]

The law and logic dont always agree. For the lawyers out there, is she at risk at all?

If this went down the way I think it did, then she's toast. Apparently, the dumb *** got herself involved in all kinds of ethical (and potentially illegal) activities when she decided to use the bankruptcy forum to pull off an end around for the NCAA. Greed can be a motherfugger.

Been saying it even before this story broke. This chick was openly extorting UM. She's too dumb to survive this. One thing the Bar hates is bad publicity. Rest assured, the Bar will find a way to skewer her, as it should. Her quotes thus far have been pure gold. The Bar can basically demand her to hand over anything it wants. She won't be able to keep a straight story without perjuring herself. She should do herself a favor and FedEx her license back to Tallahasee and become a blogger.

 

[canesman]

At best it is going to cost her a **** load of money to defend the bar case.

I can imagine that ***** brings in more than 100k in gross revenue a year.

Hopefully it bankrupts her dumbass.

 

[bg534]

The law and logic dont always agree. For the lawyers out there, is she at risk at all?

Some of the lawyers on here say she is, some say she isn't.


I suppose it all depends on the interpretations of the law held by the bar committee investigating her.

 

[NoahZach]

Can't say whether she is in trouble or not. But, if I were investigating, in addition to the obvious ones, I'd look into issues concerning potential conflicts of interest and whether she provided any required disclosures and obtained any necessary waivers. What if, in rendering services for which she expected the NCAA to pay, she had turned up information in which the NCAA had an interest, but that information was unfavorable to Shapiro's position or contrary to his interests?

 

[Gennaker Cane]

We should all defer judgment on this to the Florida attorneys, it varies a lot from state to state. I certainly hope she screwed herself

 

[NoahZach]

We should all defer judgment on this to the Florida attorneys, it varies a lot from state to state. I certainly hope she screwed herself

We should defer judgment, period. We don't have the facts and the last thing want to do is exactly what we've criticized others for doing with regard to Shapiro's allegations.

 

[Miami82]

Can't say whether she is in trouble or not. But, if I were investigating, in addition to the obvious ones, I'd look into issues concerning potential conflicts of interest and whether she provided any required disclosures and obtained any necessary waivers. What if, in rendering services for which she expected the NCAA to pay, she had turned up information in which the NCAA had an interest, but that information was unfavorable to Shapiro's position or contrary to his interests?

Good question...

 

[The Franchise]

The law and logic dont always agree. For the lawyers out there, is she at risk at all?

If this went down the way I think it did, then she's toast. Apparently, the dumb *** got herself involved in all kinds of ethical (and potentially illegal) activities when she decided to use the bankruptcy forum to pull off an end around for the NCAA. Greed can be a motherfugger.

Been saying it even before this story broke. This chick was openly extorting UM. She's too dumb to survive this. One thing the Bar hates is bad publicity. Rest assured, the Bar will find a way to skewer her, as it should. Her quotes thus far have been pure gold. The Bar can basically demand her to hand over anything it wants. She won't be able to keep a straight story without perjuring herself. She should do herself a favor and FedEx her license back to Tallahasee and become a blogger.

Exactly. I like the cut of your jib. I've seen her involvement the same way as you from the beginning. Her fat mouthing to the media early on, and her apparent bloodlust for UM were always troubling to me, as she should have had nothing to do with the NCAA's case.

 

[Pixelated bukake]

Can't say whether she is in trouble or not. But, if I were investigating, in addition to the obvious ones, I'd look into issues concerning potential conflicts of interest and whether she provided any required disclosures and obtained any necessary waivers. What if, in rendering services for which she expected the NCAA to pay, she had turned up information in which the NCAA had an interest, but that information was unfavorable to Shapiro's position or contrary to his interests?

That's where her Errors & Omissions insurance carrier might get a claim submitted by Shapiro. She would have a serious problem if information inimical to her client's best interests was the result of her unethical behavior.