Attorney John Pape of Stuart, FL; ethical troll

The state of Florida presented John Robert Pape with a law license in 1993 after he graduated from the University of Miami School of Law.

The State Bar of Florida found Johnny guilty of engaging in the following misconduct.

• Johnny’s adViolated Florida Bar advertising rules
• Ad violated Bar rules because the image of the pit bull objectively had nothing to do with the type of services being provided by the law firm and improperly described the law firm’s services
• The ad invoking the breed of dog known as the pit bull, demean all lawyers and thereby harm both the legal profession and the public’s trust and confidence in the system of justice
• Violated rules regulating the Florida Bar by using the image of a pit bull and displaying the term ‘pit bull’ as part of their firm’s phone number in their commercial
• Because the use of an image of a pit bull and the phrase ‘pit bull’ in the firm’s advertisement and logo does not assist the public in ensuring that an informed decision is made prior to the selection of the attorney, we conclude that the First Amendment does not prevent this court from sanctioning the attorneys based on the rule violations
• The logo of the pit bull wearing a spiked collar and the prominent display of the phone number were manipulative and misleading
• The advertising devices would suggest to many persons not only that the lawyers can achieve results, but also they engage in a combative style of advocacy

As a direct consequence of his misconduct, the enablers for Attorney Misfits sitting on the Statewide Grievance Committee punished Johnny by gifting him with a complimentary reprimand.

And lastly, as one would suspect, Johnny and his firm fail to disclose the misconduct set forth above on their self-serving website at www.dwinjuryulaw.com. Apparently, they decided to conceal said relevant facts from prospective clients to prevent limiting their future victim pool.

As we speak (ca. September 2022), Johnny practices his so-called brand of law with Donaldson & Weston at 2400 SE Federal Highway in Stuart, Florida.