Florida disciplinarians just put a Fort Lauderdale litigator on notice that it has probable cause to prosecute him for alleged ethics violations.

The Second Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee found probable cause to prepare a complaint against Phillip Tim Howard, founder of Howard & Associates, which has offices in Florida and Massachusetts.

The committee based its findings on a 2018 complaint filed by Howard's former assistant, Kimberly Poling, who worked for the litigator in his Broward office in 2017 and 2018. It found probable cause for a complaint alleging Howard violated Florida Bar rules governing responsibilities of partners, managers and supervisory lawyers; responsibilities regarding nonlawyer assistants; and direct contact with prospective clients.