Teresa Schiele Roper, an Apopka attorney with more than 35 years of practice in workers’ compensation, civil litigation, and local government law, was suspended from the Florida Bar following a felony conviction for Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer. The suspension, effective December 21, 2025, was triggered automatically under Rule 3-7.2(f) of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar — the provision that mandates immediate suspension proceedings when a Florida attorney is found guilty of a felony, regardless of whether adjudication is withheld.
The conviction followed an October 5, 2024 arrest in which Roper faced multiple criminal charges. The case wound its way through the courts over the course of a year, ending in a nolo contendere plea and court-withheld adjudication on October 24, 2025. Twenty-eight days later, the Florida Bar filed its Notice of Determination or Judgment of Guilt with the Florida Supreme Court, and the suspension order was entered the same day.
A referee appointed by the Tenth Judicial Circuit will now conduct a separate sanctions hearing to determine the appropriate final discipline, which could range from a time-limited suspension to disbarment.
For the full list of attorneys disciplined in this cycle, see the Florida Bar’s January 1, 2026 Disciplinary Actions.
The Arrest: October 5, 2024
Roper was arrested on October 5, 2024, on multiple charges, including Aggravated Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer/Great Bodily Harm, Trespass on Property after Warning, and Resisting an Officer without Violence. Florida Politics
The most serious of the initial charges — Aggravated Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer causing Great Bodily Harm — is a first-degree felony under Florida law, carrying a potential sentence of up to 30 years in prison. The charges of Trespass after Warning and Resisting an Officer without Violence are misdemeanors.
The Charge, Plea, and Sentence
On January 21, 2025, Roper was formally charged by Information with Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer, a third-degree felony — a reduction from the original Aggravated Battery charge filed at arrest. On October 24, 2025, Roper entered a nolo contendere plea to the charge, and the court found her guilty, withholding adjudication. Florida Politics
A withhold of adjudication in Florida means that while the court finds the defendant guilty and the conviction triggers Bar disciplinary proceedings under Rule 3-7.2(f), the defendant is not formally “convicted” for all legal purposes — preserving certain civil rights, including the right to vote and possess firearms, that would otherwise be lost upon formal conviction of a felony.
She was sentenced to four days of imprisonment, with credit for time served, and 12 months of supervised probation. Conditions of her probation included completing an Anger Management class, abstaining from illegal drugs and alcohol, adhering to prescribed medication, completing 35 hours of community service at a non-profit, and writing a letter of apology to the victim. She was also ordered to pay $669 in fines and costs. Florida Politics
The Florida Bar’s Response: Automatic Suspension
Under Rule 3-7.2(f) of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, when an attorney is found guilty of a felony — regardless of whether adjudication is withheld — the Bar is required to file a Notice of Determination or Judgment of Guilt with the Florida Supreme Court. Upon that filing, the court enters an immediate suspension order while the matter proceeds to a referee for a full sanctions hearing.
On November 21, 2025, the Florida Bar filed its Notice of Determination or Judgment of Guilt with the Florida Supreme Court. The same day, the court entered its suspension order. Florida Politics
The court’s disposition stated: “The Florida Bar having filed on November 21, 2025, Notice of Determination or Judgment of Guilt, it is ordered that Teresa Schiele Roper is suspended from The Florida Bar pursuant to 3-7.2(f) of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar.” Marcos News
The Supreme Court’s order stipulated that the suspension would take effect 30 days from November 21, 2025, to allow Roper to manage her existing clients and close her practice. However, the order stated that if Roper notified the court she was no longer practicing and did not require the 30-day grace period, the suspension would become effective immediately. Roper was barred from accepting new clients from November 21, 2025, until reinstated. Florida Politics
Roper was also required to fully comply with Rule 3-5.1(h) — the same notification affidavit requirement that led to the disbarment of Lisa Jacobs, the three-year suspension of Aram Caldarera Bloom, and the posthumous suspension of Emelike Nwosuocha in the same disciplinary cycle.
The full details of the suspension order were reported by ALABnews: Supreme Court of Florida Suspends Attorney Teresa Schiele Roper Over Law Enforcement Battery Case (December 2, 2025).
What Happens Next: The Referee Sanctions Hearing
The November 21, 2025 suspension order is not the final word on Roper’s discipline. Under Rule 3-7.2(f), the automatic suspension is an interim measure while a referee conducts a full evidentiary hearing on the appropriate final sanction.
The court referred the matter to the Chief Judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit for the appointment of a referee to conduct a hearing on sanctions. Hon. James A. Yancey, C.J., of the Tenth Judicial Circuit was designated as referee — corrected by court order on November 24, 2025. Avvo
At the sanctions hearing, the Florida Bar and Roper will both have the opportunity to present evidence and argument regarding the appropriate final discipline. The Bar filed a Memorandum of Law Regarding Recommended Discipline and a Witness and Exhibit List. Roper filed her own Witness and Exhibit List. A Status Conference was also scheduled as the matter proceeds through the referee process.
The referee will then issue a report and recommendation to the Florida Supreme Court, which will make the final determination on discipline. Possible outcomes range from a defined-term suspension to disbarment, depending on the findings regarding aggravating and mitigating factors under the Florida Standards for Imposing Lawyer Sanctions.
Who Is Teresa Schiele Roper?
Teresa Schiele Roper is a lawyer practicing workers’ compensation, civil litigation, and county and local government law, among other areas. She received a B.A. from the University of Florida and University of South Florida in 1985 and has been licensed for more than 36 years. Martindale She attended Stetson University College of Law, graduating in 1989, and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1990.
She practices at Roper & Roper, P.A. in Apopka, Florida. Martindale Prior to the disciplinary proceedings, Roper held peer review recognition from Martindale-Hubbell for high ethical standards, with an average peer review score between 3.0 and 4.4 — a recognition that reflects how dramatically a single criminal incident can alter an attorney’s professional standing.
Members of the public who need to verify whether an attorney is currently licensed and in good standing may search the Florida Bar’s online member directory or contact the Florida Bar’s Attorney Consumer Assistance Program (ACAP) at 1-866-352-0707.
The Rule 3-7.2(f) Framework
Roper’s case is one of two in the Florida Bar’s January 1, 2026 disciplinary cycle triggered by felony convictions under Rule 3-7.2(f). The other is Augustus Sol Invictus of Orlando, who was suspended following his Virginia felony conviction for burning an object with intent to intimidate at the 2017 Unite the Right torch march at the University of Virginia.
Rule 3-7.2(f) reflects a deliberate policy choice by the Florida Supreme Court and the Florida Bar: when a licensed attorney commits a felony, the public interest demands prompt action, even before the full disciplinary process runs its course. The automatic suspension protects clients and the public while the referee process determines the appropriate final sanction.
For a full overview of how the Florida attorney disciplinary system operates — from complaint through final sanction — see LegalClarity’s guide to Florida Attorney Discipline Rules, Process, and Sanctions.
