On Monday, May 6, 2024, the Presiding Disciplinary Judge of the Arizona Supreme Court accepted an Agreement for Discipline by Consent, reprimanding attorney Stephanie Fayth Long.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Stephanie Fayth Long,” with case no. PDJ 2024-9034.
Long, who is licensed to practice law in Arizona, agreed to accept a reprimand for her conduct related to her work as a Compliance Lawyer for the Arizona Alternative Business Structure known as Legal Help Partners PLLC (LHP). LHP operates a co-counsel model where it enters into joint representation agreements with local attorneys in various states to handle client cases, with LHP and the local attorney splitting attorney fees.
According to the agreement, at the time relevant to the complaint Long was the only attorney directly employed by LHP. She had taken the Arizona bar exam in order to serve as LHP’s compliance lawyer, despite being physically located in Georgia. The agreement notes there is some dispute over whether LHP adequately disclosed at its Arizona licensing hearing that it intended to operate in multiple states using a co-counsel model rather than solely providing legal services in Arizona.
Specifically, Long admitted to negligently violating her duties under the Arizona Rules of Professional Conduct relating to legal advertising and fee-splitting agreements. She acknowledged that LHP ran television ads that conflated LHP’s name with a separate corporate entity. The ads failed to properly notify consumers that their cases would be handled through co-counsel agreements with local attorneys, who would split attorney fees with LHP.
Long also admitted the written co-counsel and client agreements LHP used in several states, including Arizona, Louisiana, Hawaii, Ohio, and Florida, did not meet various state requirements regarding clearly communicating the division of responsibility between attorneys or signing certain documents. While not specifically admitting to violations in some cases, she acknowledged that LHP updated its processes in response.
In reaching the agreement, Long and the State Bar considered mitigating factors like her lack of prior discipline and cooperation with the proceedings. The Presiding Disciplinary Judge accepted the agreement on May 6, 2024, and issued a final judgment, reprimanding Long and ordering her to pay $1,200 in costs to the State Bar.
The Disposition states:
“IT IS ORDERED that Stephanie Fayth Long, Bar No. 036581, is reprimanded for her conduct in violation of the Arizona Rules of Professional Conduct and Arizona Code of Judicial Administration, as outlined in the consent documents.”
According to the filing, Ms. Long acquired her law license in Arizona in 2021.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
