THE FLORIDA BAR RE: AMENDMENTS TO RULES REGULATING THE FLORIDA BAR-CHAPTER 6 (LEGAL SPECIALIZATION AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS)
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The Florida Supreme Court determined that a public reprimand was necessary for an attorney who mishandled a trust account, disagreeing with the referee's recommendation of a private reprimand.
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[1] Continuing legal education requirements for civil and criminal recertification may be amended by the Florida Bar to correct erroneous increases previously approved by the…
[2] The Florida Bar's Rules Regulating Legal Specialization and Education may be amended to revert recertification continuing legal education hours to their original requirem…
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PER CURIAM.
The Florida Bar has filed a petition to amend the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar with respect to legal specialization and education. The Bar points out that, due to a misunderstanding between the Board of Governors and the Board of Legal Specialization and Education, increases in the continuing legal education requirements of civil and criminal recertifications were erroneously included in the Bar’s 1989 proposed revisions and were then approved by this Court. This petition seeks to return the recertifications to the original requirements. The petition is granted, and rules 6-4.4, 6-8.4 and 6-8.6 are hereby amended in the following manner:
6-4.4 RECERTIFICATION
(d) The applicant must demonstrate he or she has completed at least seventy five (75) fifty (50) hours of approved continuing legal education since the last date of certification. This requirement shall be satisfied by the applicant’s participation in continuing legal education approved by The Florida Bar pursuant to rule 6-4.3(e)(1) through (6).
6-8.4 CRIMINAL TRIAL RECERTIFI-CATION
(c) The applicant shall make a satisfactory showing that he or she has accumulated at least seventy-five (75) fifty (50) hours of approved continuing legal education during the period since original certification. Applicants seeking recerti-fication as both criminal trial lawyers and criminal appellate lawyers must complete at least seventy-five (75) fifty (50) hours of approved continuing legal education in each of the categories, for a total of one hundred fifty — (150) (100) hours.
6-8.6 CRIMINAL APPELLATE RE-CERTIFICATION
(c) The applicant shall make a satisfactory showing that he or she has accumulated at least seventy five (75) fifty (50) hours of approved continuing legal education during the period since original certification. Applicants seeking recerti-fication as both criminal trial lawyers and criminal appellate lawyers must complete at least seventy five (7-5) fifty (50) hours of approved continuing legal education in each of the categories, for a total of one hundred fifty (150) (100) hours.
These amendments shall be effective as of October 1, 1989, which was the effective date of all other amendments to chapter 6 of the rules.
It is so ordered.
SHAW, C.J., and OVERTON, EHRLICH, BARKETT, GRIMES and KOGAN, JJ., concur. McDONALD, J., dissents with an opinion.
McDONALD, Justice,
dissenting.
If a lawyer desires to be certified, more is expected of that lawyer in expertise, experience, training, and knowledge, than the general bar. It is particularly important to assure that certified lawyers be kept abreast of developments in the law as it relates to their area of certification. I deem it entirely appropriate to maintain the present additional requirements of continuing education in order to keep a certification. Other areas of specialization require seventy-five hours of education and so should all.