Released on = December 10, 2005, 4:49 am

Press Release Author = Jeffrey R. Hill

Industry = Law

Press Release Summary = JACKSONVILLE, FLA---Public records reveal an attorney
admitted in correspondence to The Florida Bar that clients were overcharged by the
Florida law firm FARAH, FARAH & ABBOTT, P.A. a/k/a The Law Offices of Eddie Farah.


Press Release Body = JACKSONVILLE, FLA---Public records reveal an attorney admitted
in correspondence to The Florida Bar that clients were overcharged by the Florida
law firm FARAH, FARAH & ABBOTT, P.A. a/k/a The Law Offices of Eddie Farah.

Attorney Jeffrey R. Hill says the firm employed him in 2004 when he discovered it
was regularly overcharging its personal injury clients. Hill says, \"The firm was
frequently \'padding\' costs charged to clients by $300 or more per case and had been
doing so for several years."

Hill reported his concerns over the firm\'s illicit overcharging practices in
September 2004 by letter to Donald M. Spangler, Esq., Chief Branch Discipline
Counsel for The Florida Bar. To Hill\'s surprise, a full year went by with no contact
from any representatives of The Florida Bar to investigate his allegations of wide
scale fraud and misappropriation of clients\' funds.

Hill followed up with the Florida Bar in September and October 2005. By email dated
Oct. 27, Spangler succinctly responded, \"The file to which you refer was closed. The
grievance committee considered the matter after investigation and an audit by the
bar staff auditor, and found there was no probable cause to pursue disciplinary
proceedings. They did elect to send a letter of advice to the firm.\"

Questioning the thoroughness the grievance committee\'s investigation as well as the
audit by the Bar Staff Auditor. Hill followed up with Spangler requesting a copy of
The Florida Bar\'s
complete file. By email dated Octobober 28, Spangler responded, \"Your request will
be treated as a public records request and you will be informed by the appropriate
individual regarding the cost of the documents you are requesting.\"

On 12/7/05, Hill finally received a response from the Bar to his public records
request but says the records produced are obviously incomplete. With the exception
of nine pages, the records produced were limited to documents Hill says he
personally sent to The Florida Bar. Most noticeably absent from the records are the
Grievance Committee\'s file and the results from the audit of FARAH, FARAH & ABBOTT,
P.A.\'s trust account that Hill says the records show was scheduled for 3/2/05.

Attorney John A. Weiss, Esq. of Tallahassee represented the firm's principals,
attorneys and brothers Eddie and Chuck Farah, before The Florida Bar. Hill says
it appears a Bar audit took place since Weiss stated in a 9/22/05 letter to the Bar,
\"As an aside, I would advise you that the firm has refunded in excess of $120,000.00
..., including both principal and interest, to those clients who were inadvertantly
overcharged for costs. Approximately $10,000.00 remains undisbursed because the
firm, and the private investigator it subsequently hired, could not find the
individuals.\"

Weiss' letter and examples of the firm\'s overcharging practices are available on
Hill\'s personal web page called \"Hill\'s Peek\" at
http://home.comcast.net/~email4hill/wsb/index.html.

Hill observes, \"That certainly sounds like quite a bit of money to be \'inadvertantly
overcharged\'. It would take overcharging 400 clients by $300 each to reach
$120,000.00.\" Hill says he will continue to follow up on his request to obtain the
remainder of The Florida Bar\'s file pursuant to the Public Records Act, Chapter 119
of the Florida Statutes.


Web Site = http://home.comcast.net/~email4hill/wsb/index.html

Contact Details = Jeffrey R. Hill
10200 Belle Rive Blvd #166
Jacksonville, FL 32256
904-629-6999
email4hill@comcast.net