Contini disbarment approved
The Florida Supreme Court agreed on Thursday to disbar former Broward Circuit Judge John Patrick Contini, who left the legal profession over the summer to pursue work as a mediator and advocate for crime victims and former felons.
Contini, 61, was elected in 2014 and resigned in July ahead of allegations that he doctored his court docket to make it appear he was busy when he was not in court.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission filed the formal charges after Contini’s resignation, then withdrew them because he was no longer a judge. Contini agreed last month to forego a Florida Bar inquiry and give up the practice of law.
Contini said he will work as a mediator and an activist for the Alliance for Safety and Justice,
which advocates for victims and survivors of crime, and the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which seeks to have the voting rights of some felons restored.
The jobs do not require a law license.
“I’ve had a good run; in fact, a great run,” he said last month, confirming his agreement with the disbarment. “More than half my life, 35 years, I’ve dedicated to this profession. It’s time for me to do something different.”
Contini is a former prosecutor who spent the bulk of his career in private practice. In 2014, he ran for office and unseated Circuit Judge Steven Feren, a former mayor of Sunrise. His term would have ended in 2020.