The Florida Bar Board of Governors met on December 3, 2021. The Board’s major actions and reports received included:
Second District Court of Appeal Chief Judge Robert Morris, who chairs the Workgroup on Improved Resolution of Civil Cases, reported that the Supreme Court will soon be weighing a 184-page report that recommends major changes to the way Florida resolves some 2 million civil cases a year. (See Bar News story here.) Judge Morris urged board members to study the report carefully and be prepared to respond during the anticipated public comment period.
The Special Committee for the Review of Professionalism in Florida reported on their activities to the board and said that they expect to present final recommendations to the board in March 2022. The 20-member panel has been meeting regularly to conduct a comprehensive review and recommend ways to improve the definition, education, and enforcement of professionalism.
The Special Committee is also considering proposals that range from new Florida Bar-produced CLE and a new professionalism resource website, to protocols that would make the state’s local professionalism panels function more uniformly. Read more about their work in the Bar News.
TECH HELPLINE
The board approved the Tech Support Helpline as a new benefit for Florida Bar members under a one-year agreement with Law Tech Partners after a successful beta test earlier this year. The test included detailed reports of service calls, response times, and user surveys. The Tech Support Helpline is slated to launch in January and will operate substantially as it did in the beta test.
FAMILY LAW RULES
The board voted to recommend approval of a Family Law Rules Committee proposal that, under certain circumstances, would allow divorcing parties to waive the filing of financial affidavits.
The committee proposed the amendments over the objection of the Family Law Section, said Cory Brandfon, who headed a Family Law Rules Committee panel that developed the proposal. The proposal has been under consideration for three years. Learn more about the proposal in the Bar News.
ANIMAL LAW SECTION LEGISLATIVE REQUEST
The board also voted not to approve an Animal Law Section request to advocate in favor of legislation to ban the retail sale of pets. The board’s Legislation Committee had recommended against approval based on the potential for raising a “deeply divisive issue.” Read more in the Bar News.
ADVERTISING APPEAL
In addition, the board voted to affirm a Standing Committee on Advertising decision that the use of a client who is a law enforcement officer to provide testimonials in advertisements, where the client identifies himself as a law enforcement officer, violates Rule 4-7.15(b), which prohibits advertisements that “use an authority figure, such as a judge or law enforcement officer… to endorse or recommend the lawyer or act as spokesperson for the lawyer.”
SUPREME COURT SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON THE DELIVERY OF LEGAL SERVICES
The board unanimously rejected the Supreme Court’s Special Committee to Improve the Delivery of Legal Services recommendation for a legal lab and approved some other recommendations from the special committee. The board endorsed the idea of allowing legal aid organizations to organize under Bar rules as nonprofit corporations, and to have nonlawyer members on their boards of directors. These changes would, among other things, conform the rules to those used for federal funding for their activities. The board also accepted a stripped-down version of the recommendation to allow Florida Registered Paralegals to provide more legal services under lawyer supervision. Read more about the recommendations and actions of the board regarding the special committee recommendations in the Bar News.
NEW MEMBER BENEFITS
In other action, the board approved two additions to The Florida Bar Member Benefits Program, which should become available in the first quarter of 2022:
- Discounted access to YMCA programs statewide, including the waiving of a $100 joining fee and 10% savings on monthly membership fees at participating locations.
- Tracers, a legal search engine. Florida Bar members would receive a 10% discount that applies to both one-time search purchases and subscription fees.
IMPORTANT LINKS AND REMINDERS
Applications Needed
The Florida Bar has the opportunity to nominate six lawyers for each Judicial Nominating Commission to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his appointment. Applicants must be members of The Florida Bar engaged in the practice of law and a resident of the territorial jurisdiction served by the commission to which the member is applying. Applications must be submitted no later than 5:30 p.m., Friday, January 14, 2022.