In Re: Amendments to Rules Regulating The Florida Bar – Rules 3-7.6 and 3-7.10

Supreme Court of Florida·Decided June 2, 2022·No. SC22-144·Published

Opinion

Supreme Court of Florida

No. SC22-144

IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO RULES REGULATING THE FLORIDA BAR—RULES 3-7.6 and 3-7.10.

June 2, 2022

PER CURIAM.

This matter is before the Court for consideration of proposed

amendments to Rules Regulating The Florida Bar (rules) 3-7.6 and

3-7.10. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 15, Fla. Const.; R.

Regulating Fla. Bar 1-12.1.

The Florida Bar (Bar) filed a petition proposing amendments to

rules 3-7.6 (Procedures Before a Referee) and 3-7.10 (Reinstatement

and Readmission Procedures). The petition was in response to a

referral from the Court to consider amendments to the rules in

accordance with the Court’s recent decision in Florida Bar re

Murtha, 327 So. 3d 256, 259 (Fla. 2021), wherein this Court held

that the referee’s order requiring civil mediation in this Bar

reinstatement proceeding was inappropriate and noting that the

Court would separately refer the issue to the Bar to consider a rule

on the issue of mediation. The Board of Governors of The Florida

Bar unanimously approved the proposal. The Bar published the

proposal for comment in The Florida Bar News, and no comments

were received. Having considered the Bar’s report, the Court hereby

adopts the amendments as proposed. The more significant

amendments are discussed below.

First, in rule 3-7.6, language is added under new subdivision

(f)(3) to provide that civil mediation is not available to the parties

but grievance mediation under chapter 14 is permitted as

applicable. Additionally, new subdivision (h)(5)(C) is added and

provides language to mirror rule 3-7.11(d)(1) to emphasize that

witness and document subpoenas must be issued by the referee.

Next, in rule 3-7.10, a sentence is added to subdivision (f)

prohibiting a referee in Bar reinstatement proceedings from

referring a petition for reinstatement to civil or grievance mediation.

Finally, multiple grammatical amendments are made throughout

both rules for clarity and consistency with In re Guidelines for Rules

Submissions, AOSC06-14 (Fla. 2006).

Accordingly, we amend the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar

as reflected in the appendix to this opinion. New language is

indicated by underscoring; deletions are indicated by struck-

through type. The amendments shall become effective August 1,

2022, at 12:01 a.m.

It is so ordered.

CANADY, C.J., and POLSTON, LABARGA, LAWSON, MUÑIZ, COURIEL, and GROSSHANS, 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

Joshua E. Doyle, Executive Director, Michael G. Tanner, President, Gary S. Lesser, President-elect, and Elizabeth Clark Tarbert, Division Director, Lawyer Regulation, The Florida Bar, Tallahassee, Florida,

for Petitioner

Appendix

RULE 3-7.6 PROCEDURES BEFORE A REFEREE

(a) Referees.

(1) Appointment. The chief justice shall havehas the power to appoint referees to try disciplinary cases and to delegate to a chief judge of a judicial circuit the power to appoint referees for duty in the chief judge’s circuit. SuchThese appointees shall ordinarily must be active county or circuit judges, but the chief justice may appoint retired judges.

(2) Minimum Qualifications. To be eligible for appointment as a referee under this rule, the judge must have previously served as a judicial referee in proceedings instituted under these rules before February 1, 2010, at 12:01 a.m., or must have received the referee training materials approved by the Supreme Court of Florida and certified to the chief judge that the training materials have been reviewed.

(b) Trial by Referee. When a finding has been made by a grievance committee or by the board that there is cause to believe that a member of The Florida Bar is guilty of misconduct justifying disciplinary action, and the formal complaint based on such finding of probable cause has been assigned by the chief justice for trial before a referee, the proceeding thereafter shall be an adversary proceeding that shall be conducted as hereinafter set forth.Proceedings after assignment of a referee on the bar’s filing a formal complaint are adversary proceedings conducted under this rule.

(c) Pretrial Conference. Within 60 days of the order assigning the case to the referee, theThe referee shallmust conduct a pretrial conference within 60 days of the order assigning the case to the referee. The purpose of the conference is to set a schedule for the proceedings, including discovery deadlines and a final hearing date. The referee

shallmust enter a written order in the proceedings reflecting the schedule determined at the conference.

(d) Venue. The trial shallmust be held in the county in which an alleged offense occurred or in the county where the respondent resides or practices law or last practiced law in Florida, whichever shall beis designated by the Supreme Court of Florida; provided, however, that if the respondent is not a resident of Florida and if the alleged offense is not committed in Florida, the trial shallwill be held in a county designated by the chief justice.

(e) Style of Proceedings. All proceedings instituted by The Florida Bar shallmust be styled “The Florida Bar, Complainant, v. …..(name of respondent)….., Respondent,” and “In The Supreme Court of Florida (Before a Referee).”

(f) Nature of Proceedings.

(1) [No Changes]

(2) Discovery. Discovery shall beis available to the parties in accordance with the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure.

(3) Mediation. Civil mediation is not available to parties.

The parties may be referred to grievance mediation under chapter 14 as permitted by these rules and the grievance mediation policies adopted under these rules.

(g) Bar Counsel. Bar counsel shall make such investigationmust investigate as is necessary and shall prepare and prosecute with utmost diligence any case assigned.

(h) Pleadings. Pleadings may be informal and shallmust comply with the following. requirements:

(1) Complaint; Consolidation and Severance.

(A) Filing. The complaint shallmust be filed in the Supreme Court of Florida.

(B) Content. The complaint shallmust set forth the particular act or acts of conduct for which the attorneyFlorida Bar member is sought to be disciplined.

(C) [No Changes]

(2) Answer and Motion. The respondent shall answer the complaint and, as a part thereof or by separate motion, may challenge only the sufficiency of the complaint and the jurisdiction of the forum. All other defenses shall be incorporated in the respondent’s answer. The answer may invoke any proper privilege, immunity, or disability available to the respondent. All pleadings of the respondent must be filed within 20 days of service of a copy of the complaint.The respondent must answer the complaint. The answer must include all the respondent’s defenses, except that the respondent may challenge the sufficiency of the complaint and jurisdiction of the forum in a separate motion. The respondent’s answer may invoke any proper privilege, immunity, or disability available to the respondent. All the respondent’s pleadings must be filed within 20 days of service of a copy of the complaint on the respondent.

(3) Reply. If the respondent’s answer shall contain any new matter or affirmative defense, a reply thereto may be filed within 10 days of the date of service of a copy upon bar counsel, but failure to file such a reply shall not prejudice The Florida Bar.The bar may reply to the respondent’s answer within 10 days of service on bar counsel if the respondent’s answer contains any new issue or affirmative defense. Failure to reply to the respondent’s answer does not prejudice the bar. All affirmative allegations in the respondent’s answer shall beare considered as denied by The Florida Barthe bar.

(4) Disposition of Motions. Hearings upon motions may be deferred until the final hearing, and, whenever heard, rulings thereonon any motions may be reserved until termination of the final hearing.

(5) Filing and Service of Pleadings.

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

In Re: Amendments to Rules Regulating The Florida Bar – Rules 3-7.6 and 3-7.10, (Fla. 2022).

In Re: Amendments to Rules Regulating The Florida Bar – Rules 3-7.6 and 3-7.10 (In Re: Amendments to Rules Regulating The Florida Bar – Rules 3-7.6 and 3-7.10) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.