In re Amendment to the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar-Rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(b) of the Rules of Professional Conduct

939 So. 2d 1032, 31 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 613, 2006 Fla. LEXIS 2259, 2006 WL 2771252
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedSeptember 28, 2006
DocketNo. SC05-1150
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 939 So. 2d 1032 (In re Amendment to the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar-Rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(b) of the Rules of Professional Conduct) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Amendment to the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar-Rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(b) of the Rules of Professional Conduct, 939 So. 2d 1032, 31 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 613, 2006 Fla. LEXIS 2259, 2006 WL 2771252 (Fla. 2006).

Opinions

PER CURIAM.

We have for consideration proposals for amending the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 15, Fla. Const.

In the November 2004 election, voters of the State of Florida approved the following amendment to the Florida Constitution:

In any medical liability claim involving a contingency fee, the claimant is entitled to receive no less than 70% of the first $250,000.00 in all damages received by the claimant, exclusive of reasonable and customary costs, whether received by judgment, settlement, or otherwise, and regardless of the number of defendants. The claimant is entitled to 90% of all damages in excess of $250,000.00, exclusive of reasonable and customary costs and regardless of the number of defendants. This provision is self-executing and does not require implementing legislation.

Art. I, § 26, Fla. Const. In response to this amendment, and pursuant to Rule Regulating The Florida Bar 1 — 12.1(f),1 fifty-five members of The Florida Bar, led by attorney Stephen H. Grimes, filed a petition (“Grimes petition”), seeking an amendment to Rule Regulating the Florida Bar 4 — 1.5(f)(4)(B) governing fees and costs of legal services. The Grimes petition proposed that the following language be added as new subdivision 4 — 1.5(f)(4)(B)(iii):

(iii) Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of subdivision (B), in medical liability cases, attorney fees shall not exceed the following percentages of all damages received by the claimant, exclu[1037]*1037sive of reasonable and customary costs, whether received by judgment, settlement, or otherwise, and regardless of the number of defendants:
a. Thirty percent (30%) of the first $250,000.00.
b. Ten percent (10%) of all damages in excess of $250,000.00.

Subsequently, The Florida Bar filed a response in opposition to the petition.2 -One of the main objections raised by the Bar in response to the Grimes petition was the lack of any applicable provision which would allow a medical liability claimant to waive the right granted by the constitutional amendment in order to obtain counsel of his or her choosing. Many of the comments filed in response to the publication of the Grimes petition’s proposal in The Florida Bar News also raised the same objection.

After hearing oral argument, much of which addressed the waiver issue, the Court issued an order directing The Florida Bar to submit its own proposed amendment to rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(B), including but not limited to the following core features:

1. An acknowledgement of the provisions of article I, section 26 of the Florida Constitution;
2. An affirmative obligation on the part of an attorney contemplating a contingency fee contract with a potential client to notify any potential client with a medical liability claim of the provisions of article I, section 26. Such notice provision may include a standard written notice form; and
3. A procedure whereby a medical liability claimant may knowingly and voluntarily waive the rights granted by article I, section 26. Such a proposed procedure may involve judicial oversight or review of the waiver and may include a standard waiver form or otherwise provide for the protection of the rights of a potential client.

In response to the Court’s order, the Bar appointed a Special Committee on Amendment 3, chaired by attorney Major B. Harding, which drafted and submitted to the Court a proposed amendment to rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(B).

After being submitted to the Court, the Bar’s proposal was published in The Florida Bar News for comment. Several comments were received, including comments in opposition to the Bar’s proposal filed by attorney Grimes on behalf of the original fifty-five petitioners, and the Court conducted a second oral argument. We now decline to adopt the Grimes proposed amendment and adopt the Bar’s proposed amendment to rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(B) with modifications.

The major components of the rule as proposed by the Bar are: (1) a requirement that a lawyer entering into a contingency fee agreement with a medical liability claimant must inform the client, both orally and in writing, of the client’s rights under article I, section 26; (2) a requirement that, if the lawyer chooses not to accept representation of a client under the terms of article I, section 26, the lawyer must advise the client, “both orally and in writing of alternative terms, if any, under which the lawyer would accept the representation of the client, as well as the client’s right to seek representation by another lawyer willing to accept the representation under the terms of article I, section 26, Florida Constitution, or a lawyer willing to accept the representation on a fee basis that is not contingent;” and (3) [1038]*1038a requirement that.if a client desires to waive any rights under article I, section 26, such waiver - must be in writing, under oath, and in the form provided for in the rule; the waiver and acknowledgment form proposed by the Bar to be included in rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(B)(iii) is detailed and specifically acknowledges and sets forth the rights granted to medical liability claimants under article I, section 26.

The comments in opposition to the Bar’s proposal center around two main issues: first, whether the right granted in the constitution may be waived; and, second, whether the courts must approve any waiver. The first contention is that the personal right granted to medical liability claimants by article I, section 26 may never be waived because it embraces certain policies that are beyond the control of the claimants themselves. We note, however, that on its face, article I, section 26 unquestionably creates a personal right, one for the direct benefit of a medical malpractice claimant. It is entitled “Claimant’s right to fair compensation” and provides that “the claimant is entitled to receive” the stated percentages of the ■ damages. Art.. I, § 26(a), Fla. Const. Further, the Bar and other commentators point out that most personal constitutional rights may be waived. See In re Shambow’s Estate, 153 Fla. 762, 15 So.2d 837, 837 (1943) (“It is fundamental that constitutional rights which are personal may be waived.”); see also City of Treasure Island v. Strong, 215 So.2d 473, 479 (Fla.1968) (“[I]t is firmly established that such constitutional rights designed solely for the protection of the individual concerned may be lost through waiver....”). Numerous instances of judicial recognition of the right to waive constitutional rights have been cited to the Court. For example, even the most basic fundamental constitutional rights, such as the Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and the Sixth Amendment right to counsel may be knowingly and voluntarily waived. See Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). Additionally, Florida’s highly valued constitutional homestead protection is subject to waiver. See Hartwell v. Blasingame, 564 So.2d 543, 545 (Fla.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Amend. to Regulating Fla. Bar Rule 4-1.5
939 So. 2d 1032 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
939 So. 2d 1032, 31 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 613, 2006 Fla. LEXIS 2259, 2006 WL 2771252, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-amendment-to-the-rules-regulating-the-florida-bar-rule-4-15f4b-fla-2006.