September 2024 Board Summary
The Florida Bar Board of Governors met on September 20, 2024, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Major actions and reports received included:
The Board voted to recommend acceptance of the Civil Procedure Rules Committee proposal to add “enforcement mechanisms” to discovery rules developed after the Florida Supreme Court approved a package of civil justice reforms that take effect January 1.
The committee is proposing amendments to Rules 1.340 (Interrogatories), 1.350 (Production of Documents and Things…), and 1.380 (Failure to Make Discovery), that would add enforcement language that generally tracks federal rules of civil procedure due to the concerned that without the proposed amendments, judges and courts will be flooded with blanket objections citing proportionality with no further explanation. Read more detail in The Florida Bar News.
The Board Technology Committee reported that they are working on guidelines for creating a cybersecurity incident response plan, something experts say is essential in a profession highly targeted by cybercriminals. According to the latest data available from IT security firm Check Point, the “insurance/legal” sector saw 636 weekly attacks in 2022, a 68% increase from 2021. The figure was expected to triple in 2024.
At the Board meeting, the Young Lawyers Division briefed members on their plans to expand the scope of the basic skills courses. This year’s offerings will include Health Care Law and Civil Aid Practitioner courses for the first time. They are also expanding their Transition to Practice CLE courses – free, one-hour, CLE lunchtime webinars – on substantive areas of the law or navigator sessions. Read more about their plans for the year, including events, awards and other webinars in the Bar News.
The Board considered, on first reading, a proposed amendment to Rule 20-5.2 (Duty to Update) regarding Florida Registered Paralegals that would shift the burden to notify an employer or supervising attorney of any status change from “The Florida Bar” to the “Florida Registered Paralegal.” The proposal is expected to be considered on final reading at the December Board Meeting. Read more detail in the Bar News.