Special Committee on Multidisciplinary Practice

On June 2, 2000, The Florida Bar Board of Governors adopted a resolution that multidisciplinary practice is inherently inconsistent with the core values of the legal profession, and the bar therefore opposes any changes to the Rules of Professional Conduct to allow it. The resolution also supports developing models for ancillary businesses and appropriate relationships with nonlawyers as well as continued study of changes to the legal profession and recommendations for coping with the changing legal and business environments in the information age. The Florida Bar Board of Governors also made Report and Recommendation 10D to the ABA , recommending that the ABA adopt the same position.

The Florida Bar’s Special Committee on Multidisciplinary Practice and Ancillary Business appointed two subcommittees to take pro and con positions toward multidisciplinary practice to fully formulate the issues involved and provide the committee with articulated positions and specific recommendations on multidisciplinary practice. Each subcommittee was also asked to make a written report to the committee. The committee held a Town Hall Meeting on January 12, 2000, where the two subcommittees presented their positions as an educational tool for both the committee and for Florida Bar members in general. Interested Florida Bar members were then invited to ask questions and make comments to the committee about the issues involved. The reports were then provided to the board to assist them in making their decision as reported above.