TALLAHASSEE — Hollywood, Florida, attorney Carol Lynn Benson Kendall received a suspension from the Florida Supreme Court for allegedly failing to meet the requirements of a previous suspension order.
The Supreme Court's ruling was handed down Jan. 23. As of June 21, Kendall's profile page on the Florida Bar's website said her status was “suspended” and she was “not eligible to practice law in Florida.”
Kendall was initially suspended from practice for not responding to an inquiry into a client complaint. It was ordered that the attorney would remain suspended until she responded to the Florida State Bar’s inquiries which, at the time of filing, she still had not done.
The original suspension order was enacted because of Kendall’s alleged failure to respond to inquiries made by the Florida Bar into a complaint. The Bar in early September 2015 requested a reply. Another letter was sent in October 2015, to which Kendall requested an extension to respond. The exchange continued into July 2016, with the attorney never entering an actual response to the notice beyond requesting more extensions.
It was ordered in 2016 that Kendall would be suspended immediately and until such time as she could file a response with the State Bar. As a set time frame was not established for the attorney’s suspension, she is not ordered to show proof of rehabilitation, which is a requirement for all suspensions more than 90 days. However, the attorney is prohibited from accepting new clients or continuing to represent current clients. The same suspension criteria was outlined in the second suspension order in January.
Kendall, a graduate of the University of Richmond School of Law, was admitted to the Florida Bar in April 2002.
The Florida Bar had 86,579 members considered “eligible and in good standing” as of April 1, 2017, according to the group's website.