IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO RULES REGULATING THE FLORIDA BAR - RULES 6-3.5 AND 6-3.6
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The Florida Supreme Court approved amendments to Rules Regulating the Florida Bar 6-3.5 and 6-3.6 to grant the Board of Legal Specialization and Education authority to extend deadlines for board certification and recertification applications upon request for good cause shown, including emergencies and government mandates.
The Court approved the amendments as revised in the supplemental petition, granting the Board of Legal Specialization and Education authority to extend time for completion of application requirements on the executive director's or board of governors' request for good cause shown, including specified emergencies and government mandates. The amendments became effective January 20, 2026.
[1] The Board of Legal Specialization and Education may extend deadlines for completing application requirements for board certification and recertification upon request from…
[2] Good cause for extending certification and recertification application deadlines may include national or regional emergencies, extreme weather events, pandemics, war, or…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“These amendments grant the Board of Legal Specialization and Education the authority to extend the time to complete application requirements for board certification and recertification on request by the executive director or board of governors for good cause shown.”
Establishes the core purpose and scope of the amendments
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceThe Florida Bar filed a petition proposing amendments to Rules 6-3.5 and 6-3.6 concerning certification and recertification standards. The Bar's Board…
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PER CURIAM.
The Florida Bar has filed a petition and supplemental petition proposing amendments to Rules Regulating The Florida Bar 6-3.5 (Standards for Certification) and 6-3.6 (Recertification).¹
The Florida Bar's Board of Governors approved the initial proposed amendments, and the Bar published them for comment. No comments were received. At the request of the Court, the Bar filed a supplemental petition revising the proposal for consistency with recent rule amendments.
Having considered the Bar's proposal, we amend the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar as revised by the Bar in the
1. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 15, Fla. Const.; see also R. Regulating Fla. Bar 1-12.1.
supplemental petition. These amendments grant the Board of Legal Specialization and Education the authority to extend the time to complete application requirements for board certification and recertification on request by the executive director or board of governors for good cause shown.
Accordingly, the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar are amended as reflected in the appendix to this opinion. New language is indicated by underscoring. The amendments shall become effective January 20, 2026, at 12:01 a.m.
It is so ordered.
MUÑIZ, C.J., and CANADY, LABARGA, COURIEL, GROSSHANS, FRANCIS, and SASSO, JJ., concur. THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS.
Original Proceeding – Florida Rules Regulating The Florida Bar
Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes, President, Michael Fox Orr, President-elect, Joshua E. Doyle, Executive Director, Elizabeth Clark Tarbert, Division Director, Lawyer Regulation, and Kelly N. Smith, Senior Attorney, The Florida Bar, Tallahassee, Florida,
for Petitioner
APPENDIX RULE 6-3.5. STANDARDS FOR CERTIFICATION (a)-(e) [No Change] (f) Extensions. The board of legal specialization and education may adjust the time for completion of the application requirements on the executive director's or board of governors' request for good cause shown, which may include, but is not limited to: (1) national or regional emergency; (2) flood, fire, hurricane, extreme weather, or explosion; (3) disease, epidemic, pandemic, or quarantine; (4) war, invasion, or terrorist threats or acts; (5) extended riots, protest, civil unrest, civil strife, or political unrest; or (6) local, state, federal, or foreign government recommendation, regulation, mandate, order, law, statute, or advisory. Requests for extensions from individual members will not be considered. RULE 6-3.6. RECERTIFICATION (a)-(g) [No Change] (h) Extensions. (1) The board of legal specialization and education may adjust the time for completion of the application requirements on the executive director's or board of governors' request for good cause shown, which may include, but is not limited to: (A) national or regional emergency; - 3 -
(B) flood, fire, hurricane, extreme weather, or explosion; (C) disease, epidemic, pandemic, or quarantine; (D) war, invasion, or terrorist threats or acts; (E) extended riots, protest, civil unrest, civil strife, or political unrest; or (F) local, state, federal, or foreign government recommendation, regulation, mandate, order, law, statute, or advisory. (2) The board of legal specialization and education may adjust the time for completion of the application requirements on the applicant's request for undue hardship for good cause shown. - 4 -