On Thursday, August 21, 2025, the Supreme Court of Florida approved an amended conditional guilty plea and consent judgment for discipline concerning Alexis Francisco Carter, Jr., which includes a public reprimand. The case involved allegations of misconduct during Carter’s representation of a client in a criminal case in Orange County, Florida.
The case is entitled “The Florida Bar v. Alexis Francisco Carter,” with case no. SC2024-0390.
According to the plea, Mr. Cardenas hired Carter in September 2020 while Carter was operating a private legal practice in Longwood, Florida. Cardenas, who was incarcerated, communicated with Carter through family members, who initially paid Carter $10,000.00 and later an additional $20,000.00. While Carter claimed a fee agreement was executed, he did not have a signed copy at the time of the bar’s investigation, and Cardenas reported he was never provided a copy.
Between September 2020 and October 2021, Carter participated in Cardenas’ defense and visited him in jail. Before October 2021, Carter informed Cardenas, his parents, and co-counsels that he would be joining the Office of the State Attorney in the Ninth Judicial Circuit. However, Carter did not file a motion to withdraw from Cardenas’ case before starting his new employment. Cardenas reported to the bar that he believed Carter’s employment with the State Attorney’s Office did not occur because the trial court never entered an order withdrawing Carter from his case.
Carter began working for the Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit in November 2021, eventually becoming the Deputy Chief of Public Accountability in June 2022. While employed there, Carter did not participate in Cardenas’ defense.
The plea notes that it’s not clear if a virtual “wall” was in place to prevent Carter from accessing Cardenas’ case files within the State Attorney’s Office. Carter stated his role was mostly supervisory and did not involve Cardenas’ prosecution nor the specific division that was handling the case.
Carter’s employment with the Office of the State Attorney concluded in February 2023. Following this, he visited Cardenas in jail at least three times and offered to rejoin his defense team, an offer Cardenas rejected. In August 2023, Carter filed a Motion to Withdraw without Cardenas’ signature, followed by a signed motion on February 5, 2024, which was granted on February 8, 2024.
In July 2023, after the bar complaint was filed, Carter offered to refund Cardenas and his family $20,000.00 if he withdrew his bar complaint. After learning that the offer, as proposed, would be a violation of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, respondent took no further action.
In September 2022, Carter indicated he was a solo practitioner on a disclosure form, failing to report his employment with the Office of the State Attorney. Mr. Cardenas reported in February 2024 that Carter issued a partial refund of a satisfactory amount.
The disciplinary measures imposed include a public reprimand to be published in the Southern Reporter. Carter must also attend the Professionalism Workshop within six months of the court order and pay the associated $750.00 fees before attending. He is also responsible for the bar’s disciplinary costs, totaling $3,269.60, payable within 30 days of the court order. Failure to pay will result in interest accrual and potential ineligibility to practice law. The court has entered a judgment for The Florida Bar to recover these costs, which are not dischargeable in bankruptcy proceedings.
The Disposition states:
“The Court hereby approves the amended conditional guilty plea and consent judgment for discipline under the stipulated terms below. Respondent is hereby publicly reprimanded, to be published in the Southern Reporter.”
According to Avvo.com, Mr. Carter Jr. is an attorney in Longwood, Florida. He attended Florida A&M University, College of Law, graduating in 2009. He acquired his law license in Florida in the same year.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
