Change would heighten review of Florida Registered Paralegal Program applicants
Applicants to the Florida Registered Paralegal Program would face a stricter level of scrutiny under a proposal the Board of Governors will consider later this month.
A proposed amendment to Bar Rule 20-5.1 (Generally) would make any person “who engages in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation in the application or reapplication process” ineligible for the program.
A Bar staff analysis compares the proposal to a character and fitness review for attorneys in Bar Rule 4-8.4.
“Including a character and fitness provision…allows the Florida Registered Paralegal Compliance Committee to deem someone unfit after a thorough investigation has been conducted as to whether an applicant possess the professional standard or integrity expected of a Florida Registered Paralegal during the application or reapplication process,” the analysis states.
Assistant Bar Programs Division Director Frank Digon-Greer is quick to note that the FRP program is voluntary and allows paralegals who meet certain minimum educational, certification, or work experience criteria, and who agree to abide by an established code of ethics, to refer to themselves as a Florida Registered Paralegal.
“This [proposed revision] is to aid the committee in the review process, it’s a tool,” he said. “If we see fraud in the application process, you’re going to be denied.”
Rule 20-5.1 (Generally) makes convicted felons, attorneys who have been suspended or disbarred, people who have engaged in the unlicensed practice of law, and others, ineligible for the program.
The latest figures show that there are 4,699 Florida Registered Paralegals.
