The Florida Bar Board of Governors met in Tampa on May 20, 2022. The Board’s major actions and reports received included:
PROFESSIONALISM
The Special Committee for the Review of Professionalism in Florida co-chaired by President-Elect Gary Lesser and Ft. Pierce attorney Elizabeth Hunter, presented its final proposal including a proposed Supreme Court administrative order that would establish a revised and updated “Code for Resolving Professionalism Referrals.” Another provision would require Bar members to complete additional professionalism credits every three-year CLE reporting cycle. This was one of Bar President Mike Tanner’s priorities for this year.
The proposed code establishes [more uniform] local professionalism panels (LLPs) in each judicial circuit that will receive, screen, and act on complaints of unprofessional conduct; and address those complaints informally, if possible. The proposal would also increase and standardize the informal “peer-to-peer” mentoring process for addressing instances of unprofessional conduct — separate and apart from instances of misconduct that require the formal grievance process. Read more in the Bar News.
AUTOMATED PLATFORM
The board also voted unanimously to ask the Supreme Court to forward a COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery Task Force proposal to its Florida Courts Technology Commission to create a statewide, automated platform for resolving small-value civil disputes. The Task Force is recommending a “Turbo Court” platform developed by Matterhorn that is already in use in some circuits in Florida and could be easily integrated with the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal and increasing the threshold to $8,000. This was another of President Tanner’s priorities for this year.
MENTORING
In other business, the board approved a Program Evaluation Committee proposal, requested by Lesser, to create a Special Committee on Mentoring New Lawyers. The committee’s goal will be to create mentoring programs for attorneys that have three or less years of experience and practice in firms with three or fewer attorneys. Two former Young Lawyers Division presidents, Katherine Hurst Miller and Zackary Zuroweste, have been appointed as co-chairs.
OTHER BUSINESS
The board also received a presentation by the Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section’s “Condominium Law and Policy on Life Safety Issues Advisory Task Force,” formed immediately after the June 24 collapse of Champlain Towers South condominium claimed the lives of 98 Surfside residents. At a preliminary meeting on July 2, the taskforce set a 90-day deadline to hear from witnesses and craft recommendations to enhance life and safety. The task force served as a legal resource for policymakers, but did not advocate for specific legislation. The task force found that 922,000 of Florida’s 4.5 million condominium dwellers live in residential structures that are more than 30 years old. Read their report here.
In other business, the board:
- Approved the president-elect’s standing committee assignments and leadership appointments for the 2022-2023 Bar year.
- Approved a Program Evaluation Committee proposal to revive the Florida High School Appellate Brief Writing & Moot Court Program. The state competition is a two-part program that gives competitors an opportunity to write appellate briefs and conduct mock arguments before the Florida Supreme Court.
- Received a demonstration of the new technology featured in the updated Florida Bar Benchmarks program, revamped in partnership between the Bar’s Constitutional Judiciary Committee and the University of Central Florida’s Lou Frey Institute.
- Approved a proposed amendment to Rule 20-5.1 (Generally), that would add a character and fitness requirement to the application and reapplication process for the Florida Registered Paralegal program.
IMPORTANT LINKS AND REMINDERS
PRESIDENT MIKE TANNER INVITES YOU TO THE ANNUAL CONVENTION
Join President Mike Tanner, bar leaders and colleagues at the 2022 Annual Florida Bar Convention. Watch now!