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Case 22-1426, Document 77, 06/29/2023, 3536038, Page159 of 258
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Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 204-3 Filed 04/16/21 Page 157 of 348

4. FRPC 4-8.4 – Conduct Prejudicial to the Administration of Justice

FRPC 4-8.4(c) states that a lawyer shall not engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.

FRPC 4-8.4(d) prohibits a lawyer from engaging in conduct in connection with the practice of law that is prejudicial to the administration of justice.

In Florida Bar v. Frederick, 756 So. 2d 79, 87 (Fla. 2000), the court noted that FRPC 4-8.4(d) is not limited to conduct that occurs in a judicial proceeding, but can be applied to "conduct in connection with the practice of law." In Florida Bar v. Shankman, 41 So. 3d 166, 172 (Fla. 2010), for example, an attorney’s continuous hiring and firing of firms to assist in the client’s matter resulted in delayed resolution of the case and constituted a violation of FRPC 4-8.4(d) due to the delay in the administration of justice and the increased costs to the client.201

201 OPR also examined FRPC 4-3.8, Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor. Nothing in the text of that rule, however, was relevant to the issues addressed in this Report. A comment to FRPC Rule 4-3.8 notes that Florida has adopted the American Bar Association (ABA) Standards of Criminal Justice Relating to the Prosecution Function. These "standards," however, are not binding rules of conduct but rather provide guidance to prosecutors. Indeed, the ABA has expressly stated that these standards "are not intended to serve as the basis for the imposition of professional discipline, to create substantive or procedural rights for accused or convicted persons, to create a standard of care for civil liability, or to serve as a predicate for a motion to suppress evidence or dismiss a charge." OPR does not consider the ABA standards as binding on the conduct of Department prosecutors.

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