Board of Governors Meeting Preview – July 2021
The following items are up for action or discussion at the July 23, 2021, meeting of the Board of Governors as of today; changes may occur before the meeting. Please contact your board representative(s) if you have any input or questions. This Florida Bar News article provides additional details.
The Board of Governors will be presented with the results of a three-month “beta test” of the Florida Bar Tech Support Helpline. The test was conducted by Bar consultant Law Tech Partners largely to gauge member interest and support. The service was promoted primarily to solo and small-firm members and is mostly limited to basic troubleshooting, operating system support, and technical setup for home and remote offices.
The board is considering an advertising appeal from Ft. Lauderdale law firm Meldon Law, which is objecting to a staff determination that four, 30-second television ads it submitted for review are not permissible under Rule 4-7.15(c), which prohibits lawyers from using advertisements that feature celebrity images or voices, because the ads prominently feature “Albert” and “Alberta” alligators, the University of Florida mascots.
The board is expected to consider two new discounted Member Benefit services:
- Coaxis Hosting Solutions – offering Bar members discounts on a secure, remote connection to hosted data including managed hosting, IaaS, hybrid cloud, back up, file sync and share, and encrypted/compliant communications.
- “Hire an Esquire,” – a resource for law firms and in-house legal departments to find on-demand contract talent with over 13,000 vetted attorneys, paralegals, and associates available to assist with cases.
The board will also consider an amendment to Rule 3-7.16(d) that clarifies that the bar will not take action on a complaint against a constitutional officer while that person remains in office. New commentary clarifies that the governor has the authority to remove constitutional officers.