The Florida Bar

The Florida Bar

Formation	April 1950
Type	Legal Society
Headquarters	651 East Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, FL
Location	Florida, United States
Membership	99,000+^[1]
President	Gregory W. Coleman
Key people	52-member Board of Governors
Website	http://www.floridabar.org

The Florida Bar is the integrated bar association for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar association in the United States.^[2] Its duties include the regulation and discipline of attorneys.

As elsewhere in the United States, persons seeking admission to the bar must pass a moral character screening, in this case administered by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. Admission to the bar includes passing a background investigation, the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, and the bar exam, which tests both the common law through the Multistate Bar Examination and Florida law through written state essays and state-specific multiple-choice questions. The Florida Bar is also responsible for the governing of Florida Registered Paralegals.^[3]

The Florida Bar is home of one of the nation's premier board certification programs. Over 5,000 members of the bar are certified in one or more of 24 legal specialty areas including civil trial, business litigation, labor and employment, and marital and family law. Board certified attorneys must submit to a rigorous peer review process, prove substantial involvement and education in the specialty field, and pass a written examination.

The Florida Bar's headquarters building and annex are located in Tallahassee, three blocks from the Florida State Capitol.

History

In 1889 the first, small, voluntary group of lawyers formed in Florida.^[4] This developed into the Florida State Bar Association in 1907. This remained a voluntary organization, publishing a legal journal, drafting court procedures, and presenting occasional educational courses for lawyers. Its membership never exceeded a few thousand.

With a sharp increase in the number of lawyers after World War I came interest in requiring lawyers to join the Florida State Bar Association, both as a means of improving communication within the profession and of disciplining unethical lawyers. However, the Florida Supreme Court declined to order this until 1949.

In April 1950, the Florida State Bar Association met for the last time. The name was shortened to "The Florida Bar" and the state's 3,758 lawyers automatically became members. Its first president was Richard H. Hunt of Miami.

In 1989, The Florida Bar went to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend restrictions on attorney advertising. The court found in favor of the narrowly tailored rules in Florida Bar v. Went For It, Inc..

References

↑ "Frequently Asked Questions About The Florida Bar". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
↑ Florida Bar (accessed April 23, 2009) PDF
↑ Florida Registered Paralegal program
↑ "History of The Florida Bar". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2012-07-22.

External links

State bar associations

Unified State Bars	Alabama State Bar Alaska Bar Association State Bar of Arizona State Bar of California District of Columbia Bar The Florida Bar State Bar of Georgia Hawaii State Bar Association Idaho State Bar Kentucky Bar Association Louisiana State Bar Association State Bar of Michigan The Mississippi Bar The Missouri Bar State Bar of Montana Nebraska State Bar Association State Bar of Nevada New Hampshire Bar Association State Bar of New Mexico North Carolina State Bar State Bar Association of North Dakota Oklahoma Bar Association Oregon State Bar Rhode Island Bar Association South Carolina Bar State Bar of South Dakota State Bar of Texas Utah State Bar Virginia State Bar Washington State Bar Association State Bar of Wisconsin Wyoming State Bar

Voluntary State Bars	Arkansas Bar Association Colorado Bar Association Connecticut Bar Association Delaware State Bar Association Illinois State Bar Association Indiana State Bar Association Iowa State Bar Association Kansas Bar Association Maine State Bar Association Maryland State Bar Association Massachusetts Bar Association Minnesota State Bar Association New Jersey State Bar Association New York State Bar Association North Carolina Bar Association Ohio State Bar Association Pennsylvania Bar Association Tennessee Bar Association Vermont Bar Association Virginia Bar Association

U.S. Commonwealth Bar Associations	American Samoa Bar Association Guam Bar Association Northern Mariana Islands Bar Association Bar Association of Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Bar Association

National Minority Bar Associations	National Native American Bar Association Hispanic National Bar Association National Asian Pacific American Bar Association National Bar Association Puerto Rican Bar Association

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