Two Sarasota County attorneys disciplined by Florida Supreme Court

Two Sarasota County attorneys have been disciplined by the Florida Supreme Court.

Kevin Keenan Chase, of Longboat Key, and William Robert Cohen, of Sarasota, were among the 18 attorneys that have recently been disciplined by the Florida Supreme Court, according to a news release.

Chase was suspended for 45 days, effective 30 days from an Aug. 24 court order, after pleading no contest to a 2015 driving under the influence charge. Once he is reinstated, Chase will be on probation for two years.

He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1994, after graduating from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Cohen has been granted a petition for a disciplinary revocation for trust account shortages that is retroactively effective as of Sept. 22, 2016, according to a June 22 court order. He will be able to re-apply for admission to the Florida Bar after five years.

Attorneys who seek readmission after being disbarred must go through an extensive process, from which many are often rejected, according to the Florida Bar. The process includes a rigorous background check and retaking the bar exam. Less than 5 percent of disbarred lawyers, historically, seek readmission according to the Florida Bar.

In the past, Cohen was disciplined by the Florida and Michigan bars. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1997 after graduating from Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad Law Center.

This story was originally published September 27, 2017 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Two Sarasota County attorneys disciplined by Florida Supreme Court."