On Thursday, May 1, 2025, the Florida Supreme Court approved a conditional guilty plea and consent judgment suspending attorney Alexis Trischa-Day Benjamin from practicing law for six months, effective retroactively from December 1, 2024.
The ruling stems from a disciplinary case filed by The Florida Bar under case number SC2025-0533, with the lower tribunal number 2022-50,447(11D).
The court’s order mandates that Benjamin immediately cease all legal practice in Florida, stop presenting herself as a Florida Bar member or lawyer, and remove any indications of her status as an attorney from websites, social media, business cards, and other materials. She is required to withdraw from representing all clients and refrain from accessing or transferring funds from any trust or financial accounts holding client or third-party funds related to legal representation. Additionally, Benjamin must not transfer ownership of any property purchased with client funds.
Within 30 days of the order, Benjamin must submit an affidavit to The Florida Bar’s headquarters in Tallahassee, listing all courts, tribunals, bars, clients, co-counsel, opposing counsel, and financial institutions notified of her suspension. She must also provide an affidavit detailing any fees or payments received for legal services after the suspension order was issued.
The disciplinary action follows Benjamin’s prior suspension on October 29, 2020, for a separate matter. The current case relates to her failure to formally withdraw from a landlord-tenant civil suit involving her father or notify the court of her suspension. In December 2021, Benjamin received a hearing notice but did not file a written suspension notice. At a January 20, 2022, hearing, she attended with her father, who appeared pro se, and later clarified to the court that she was not acting as counsel due to her suspension. However, Benjamin responded to emails from opposing counsel without explicitly stating her suspended status, leading to a report to The Florida Bar.
The court found Benjamin violated Rules 3-5.1(h), 4-3.4(c), and 4-8.4(d) of The Florida Bar, which address notification requirements, fairness to opposing parties, and conduct prejudicial to justice. In mitigation, Benjamin cooperated with the bar, expressed remorse, and had no dishonest motive. In aggravation, her substantial legal experience and prior disciplinary record were noted.
Benjamin is also ordered to pay $1,250 in disciplinary costs within 30 days, with interest accruing if unpaid, and these costs are non-dischargeable in bankruptcy.
According to Avvo, Ms. Benjamin is a litigation lawyer in Miami Gardens, FL. She acquired her law license in Florida in 2007.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
