Florida Bar President John Stewart is sworn in by Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady alongside his daughter, MaryClare, at the Florida Bar General Assembly on June 28, 2019, in Boca Raton. Photo: Dylan Jackson/ALM.

The growing disruption by alternative legal service providers and the relationship between the bar and its members were major themes of the Florida Bar general assembly meeting in Boca Raton.

The assembly saw the passing of the torch from former bar president Michelle Suskauer to John Stewart and the appointment of Santo DiGangi to the presidency of the Young Lawyers Division, as well as the swearing-in of the Florida Board of Governors and other bar officers.

Stewart, a partner with Rossway Swan Tierney Barry Lacey & Oliver in Vero Beach, did not mince words when he stressed the growing challenges of technology to the practice of law in his speech Friday. He particularly focused on ALSPs. As clients become increasingly cost-conscious, ALSPs have carved out a $10.7 billion industry. Many attorneys see these services as an existential threat to the profession.

Stewart said he sees them as less of a mortal adversary and more of a product of technology that necessitates adaptation and collaboration between attorneys and the online disruptors.

“In my opinion, the discussion of online legal service providers and their impact on our profession is the most important discussion we will likely have for the next century,” Steward said. “The best solution in the broader legal marketplace is lawyers plus technology, not lawyers or technology.”

He drew on history as a guide, referencing a series of groundbreaking decisions by the Florida Bar, some that were controversial at the time, including the creation of the statewide bar in 1949.

“Now 70 years later after it was established,” he said. “The Florida Bar is called on once again to be a leader in shaping the practice of law for both lawyers and the public.”

In their speeches, Suskauer, Stewart and DiGangi all highlighted the need for the Florida Bar to connect to its attorneys. A flood of challenges to mandatory bar membership and dues in states such as Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and North Dakota has raised the specter of a similar fate in Florida, making the connection all the more important.

“Traveling the state, I saw that there was a disconnect between our bar and our members,” Suskauer said.

The outgoing president cited LegalFuel, the Florida Bar Association’s practice resource center, which has seen a million visitors since its launch last summer, as an example of a way to achieve a more connected bar.

DiGangi focused in particular on public sector and government attorneys, who he said have long been underrepresented at the bar.

“Most voluntary bar meetings and events are attended almost exclusively by private practitioners,” he said. “Everyone should have a voice. But are all voices really being heard? Are we being mindful about ensuring that those lawyers, who interact with the general public the most, are part of the discussion on the future of the bar?”

DiGangi then announced the first-of-its-kind young government lawyer summit Nov. 1 in Orlando, imploring government and public sector leaders to attend.