Historic City News was informed this afternoon that former Mayor Joe Boles' law license has been revoked in a long-anticipated disciplinary action. Boles, who was first licensed in 1984, practiced elder law, estate planning, wills, trusts and probate law with his stepson, William Masson, at 19 Riberia Street in Saint Augustine.

In April of last year, Historic City News reported that Joseph Lester Boles Jr. was suspended for 90 days after an investigation by the Florida Bar found that Boles committed a conflict of interest in several cases by nominating himself as Substitute beneficiary in inheritance matters without first informing the beneficiaries, seek an independent advisor. In this case (Case No. SC22-1628), Boles failed to provide required disclosures before having the parties sign waivers of their rights and appointing himself as the substitute successor trustee or personal representative, in violation of Florida law.

In this case, case number SC24-0586, Joseph Lester Boles Jr. chose a course of action that would involve leaving a will.for free” to people over 65. The new investigation found that Boles drafted the documents and named himself as the trustee’s personal representative or successor. This allowed Boles to potentially receive fees as part of the estate or trust assets. Boles failed to follow the instructions of several testamentary documents while serving as trustee. In one example, Boles sold a deceased person’s home to his own daughter — allegedly at a price below market value.

As a result, Boles received disciplinary withdrawal of license, which is the same as being disbarred. Disbarred attorneys cannot reapply for admission to the Florida Bar for five years and must undergo a rigorous process to regain their license to practice law – if they regain it at all. These attorneys must pass a detailed, updated background check and retake the Florida Bar Exam.

The Florida Bar is the state's guardian of the integrity of the legal profession. The Florida Supreme Court, the Florida Bar, and its Division of Attorney Regulation are charged with administering a statewide disciplinary system to enforce the Supreme Court's Rules of Professional Conduct for the more than 112,000 members of the Florida Bar.