Florida Puts Hold on Attorney Discipline, Advertising Deadlines Due to COVID-19
Rules setting deadlines for attorney advertising, attorney discipline and the unauthorized practice of law have been suspended.
March 20, 2020 at 01:06 PM
3 minute read
Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady
The Florida Supreme Court eased some lawyer regulations Friday in response to the coronavirus.
The full court suspended deadlines for attorney discipline, attorney advertising and the unauthorized practice of law.
Florida has strict advertising rules requiring attorneys to submit their ads to the Florida Bar for review and evaluation. The order dropped all ad-related deadlines.
The latest order piles on top of others issued earlier to shrink court operations to essential services and live hearings in criminal and involuntary commitment cases where court orders require the presence of defendants and detainees.
Chief Justice Charles Canady initially suspended trials for two weeks but announced Thursday he would extend that to a total of five weeks ending April 17.
The Florida Bar delayed deadlines of its own after the executive committee met Friday on a conference call. Members who faced deadlines from February to May to report their three-year continuing legal education records now have until Aug. 31.
The committee also agreed to offer two new member benefits: Smith.ai, a virtual receptionist service oriented to small firms for live calls and web chat, and Indexed I/O, an e-discovery service. The bar also expects to introduce a mental health helpline July 1.
The proposed 2020-2021 budget was approved without a fee increase.
"In the midst of the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis, all of our lives, personally and professionally, have been impacted," bar president John Stewart wrote in a message to members. "We recognize the myriad of serious challenges this crisis creates for our members. We are here to assist in any way we can."
Meanwhile, Miami-Dade Circuit Court issued an advisory Friday suggesting pro se litigants should register with the Florida Courts e-filing portal to reduce in-person contacts. The online user manual and training videos also were offered.
Read the order:
Related stories:
New Federal, State Court Orders Issued for COVID-19 Operations in Florida
Cancel Everything Nonessential: Florida Supreme Court Outlines COVID-19 Plan
'Uncharted Waters Here': South Florida Law Firms Prep, Then Switch to Remote Work
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Judge Slaps $16 Million Penalty on Defendants in Wyndham Timeshare Advertising Fraud Case
4 minute read
Gibson Dunn Recruits S&C Partner to Co-Lead M&A Practice, in 2-Partner Hire
Consumer Class Action Accuses Fabletics of Misleading Customers of 'VIP Membership Program' Value
Trending Stories
- 1Buyer Beware:Continuity of Coverage in Legal Malpractice Insurance
- 2‘Listen, Listen, Listen’: Some Practice Tips From Judges in the Oakland Federal Courthouse
- 3BCLP Joins Saudi Legal Market with Plans to Open Two Offices
- 4White & Case Crosses $4M in PEP, $3B in Revenue in 'Breakthrough Year'
- 5Thursday Newspaper
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
