Agenda for board’s July 23 meeting taking shape
Tech Support Helpline, member benefits, and lawyer advertising to be discussed
When it convenes July 23 on Miami Beach, the Board of Governors is expected, among other things, to review a three-month “beta test” of The Florida Bar Tech Support Helpline, approve two new member benefits, and weigh whether UF mascots “Albert” and “Alberta” qualify as celebrities under Bar advertising rules.
The meeting will be the first helmed by newly sworn President Michael Tanner.
The Board Technology Committee began researching the concept of a tech support helpline last year while it was working with the COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery Task Force on a variety of projects to help members cope with the health crisis.
In January, the board voted unanimously to award a contract to Law Tech Partners for the three-month test to gauge member support. In May, Board Technology Committee Chair Jay Kim told fellow board members that more than half-way through the trial period, Law Tech had received nearly 80 calls for service.
“The results, so far, are encouraging,” Kim said, with Law Tech receiving many positive reviews.
During the pandemic, then President Dori Foster-Morales noted that technology was among the top three challenges that members expressed when she conducted a series of virtual town halls in each of Florida’s 20 judicial circuits last year.
However, a Bar survey suggested that the sentiment may have changed. The survey asked members how likely they would be to use “remote computer/repair tech support initially for free, followed by a reduced fee,” if it were offered as a Bar member benefit. Only 8% responded “very likely,” 14% responded “somewhat likely,” and 59% responded “unlikely.” Another 19% indicated they were unsure.
The service was promoted primarily to the solo and small firm members who typically can’t afford a full-time IT staff. Law Tech Partners owner Adriana Linares, a legal technology consultant and trainer, offers a similar service as a member benefit to the San Diego County Bar Association.
The service is mostly limited to basic troubleshooting, operating system support, and technical setup for home and remote offices, after research showed that contracting for full service would be cost-prohibitive.
In other business, the board is expected to approve expanding the Bar’s Member Benefits Program by adding two new discounted services.
Coaxis Hosting Solutions, which maintains a data center in Tallahassee, offers “a secure, remote connection to your hosted data,” the company boasts on its website. “We provide fully managed hosting, IaaS, hybrid cloud, back up, file sync and share, and encrypted/compliant communications.”
The company would offer Bar members discounts based on the type of service. For example, for QuickBooks Hosting, Coaxis would offer a monthly, recurring discount equal to 2.5% of the monthly retail price of $49 per user, per month.
The Florida Bar would receive royalties based on the types of services Bar members purchase. For example, for QuickBooks Hosting, Coaxis would pay The Florida Bar a monthly recurring royalty equal to 2.5% of the member’s monthly gross service fees that have been paid to Coaxis.
The other proposed member benefit, “Hire an Esquire,” bills itself as a “resource for law firms and in-house legal departments to find on-demand contract talent.”
“Hire an Esquire has over 13,000 vetted attorneys, paralegals, and associates available to assist with cases at a moment’s notice,” according to company literature. “All their participating attorneys are screened and go through a psychological assessment to ensure they are a good cultural fit for the job.”
The company would offer Florida Bar members $150 off their first project via “a unique link or code.” The Florida Bar would receive 1% of gross profits generated by members that sign up with Hire an Esquire for a period of two years post signup.
In other business, the board is expected to weigh an advertising appeal from a Ft. Lauderdale law firm, Meldon Law.
The firm is objecting to a staff determination that four, 30-second television ads it submitted for review are not permissible because they prominently feature “Albert” and “Alberta” alligators, the University of Florida mascots.
The advertisements show the firm’s founders walking across the UF football field with the mascots, who in some scenes wave “Meldon Law” signs. One ad features the mascots and lawyers exchanging UF and Meldon Law jerseys.
At issue is Bar Rule 4-7.15 (c), which prohibits lawyers from using advertisements that feature celebrity images or voices.
The firm argues, among other things, that rule “only applies to individuals” and since “Albert” and “Alberta” are make-believe characters, the rule does not apply.
Whatever the outcome, it could set a precedent.
According to a staff analysis, “there are no previous decisions regarding mascots,” and staff, at least initially, “did not contemplate whether a mascot would be considered a celebrity.”
