Owner of closed Polk law firm asks Supreme Court to halt disciplinary cases against him

The owner of a law firm that catered to elderly clients wants the Florida Supreme Court to halt disciplinary action against him over his admitted misuse of company funds.

Family Elder Law , based in Lake Wales, shuttered its offices there and in Lakeland and Sebring last month with no warning to clients. The Florida Bar opened an investigation into the firm’s owner, Jason Penrod, a lawyer who began practicing in 2003.

Richard Greenberg, a lawyer representing Penrod, filed a petition Aug. 8 to the Florida Supreme Court. Penrod seeks disciplinary revocation, the loss of his ability to practice law in Florida, with the option of applying later for readmission.

Disciplinary charges against Penrod are pending, based on allegations from a former associate and a lawyer representing the beneficiaries of a living trust, the petition says. Both reported that Penrod had misappropriated funds from a trust.

Penrod, 47, reported himself for wrongly using funds from two trusts that he directed, the petition says.

If the Supreme Court grants the petition, it will dismiss all pending disciplinary cases against Penrod, the petition says.

“Petitioner contends that granting this petition will not adversely affect the public interest, the integrity of the courts, or the confidence of the public in the legal profession,” the petition says. “Further, Petitioner contends that granting this petition will not hinder the administration of justice.”

Penrod offered to reimburse the client security fund for any funds it has paid or may pay out for claims resulting from his misconduct, the petition says. He also agreed to reimburse The Florida Bar $1,250 for costs incurred in his disciplinary cases.

Penrod agreed to submit to a complete audit of any trust accounts and other accounts in which he placed client funds, if requested to do so by The Florida Bar. He also agreed to provide a sworn financial affidavit attesting to his personal and professional financial circumstances within 30 days.

Greenberg did not respond to an email or a voicemail left Thursday.

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Family Elder Law had its main office at 122 E. Tillman Ave. in Lake Wales and another office at 5908 Hillside Heights Drive in the Highland City area.

Before the closure, Family Elder Law’s website listed the firm’s practice areas as estate planning and asset protection, Medicaid and nursing home care, probate and estate administration and special needs protection and planning. A section on the website featured dozens of testimonials from people identified by their first names and first initials of their surnames.

Penrod, a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, is listed as a member in good standing on The Florida Bar’s website. He was admitted in 2003 and has faced no disciplinary action over the past 10 years.

Penrod, a New York native with a bachelor’s degree from Niagara University, moved to Lake Wales in 2004 and became a partner at an existing firm before forming his own company, according to previous Ledger reporting. He received a board certification in elder law in 2016.

A listing on The Florida Bar’s website describes Penrod’s firm size as having two to five employees, though news reports say that Family Elder Law employed as many as 20 people.

As The Ledger previously reported, Leticia Labate of Lakeland said she learned the Lakeland office had closed one day after she delivered documents there on behalf of her 91-year-old mother.

Labate said that her mother, who has extremely limited mobility following a stroke, paid $4,500, nearly all the money in her bank account, to Family Elder Law for representation in a disability claim.

Labate received a refund of her mother’s payment after she posted about her situation on social media. She said she thinks the company offered the refund only in response to the “ruckus” she caused.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13 .

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Owner of closed Polk law firm asks Supreme Court to halt disciplinary cases against him