Welcome to your daily briefing on legal developments in Florida. Today we're covering 6 key stories including updates on florida legal headlines, background & context. Let's dive in.
3 stories
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners operates the official website for bar examination and admission information in the state.
FL attorneys and law students rely on this board for bar application deadlines, exam schedules, and character and fitness requirements.
PACER is an electronic database providing docket and case information from federal courts, including district courts, which requires users to register for an account.
Legal professionals in Florida can utilize this resource to access necessary federal court records for their cases.
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd issued a reminder for Florida businesses to file their annual reports.
Corporate counsel and business attorneys need to ensure clients maintain good standing and avoid administrative dissolution by meeting annual report deadlines.
Reach professionals in this market
3 stories
Enforceability of employee non-competes varies dramatically by state and is trending toward narrower enforcement nationally. Common defects include geographic scope broader than the employer's actual market, duration longer than necessary to protect a legitimate interest, and lack of consideration beyond continued employment.
An overbroad non-compete is often unenforceable in its entirety, not just blue-penciled down — meaning the employer gets no protection at all. A narrower, defensible clause protects more than an aspirational one.
Most conflict-of-interest systems index by named party only. They miss conflicts created when the named party is a wholly-owned subsidiary, a shared parent's affiliate, or a private-equity portfolio company under common control. The model rules treat these as conflicts even though no name match exists.
A conflict that surfaces mid-matter typically requires withdrawal at the worst possible moment, plus a fee writedown for work done. Catching it at intake is a 10-minute process; catching it at month six is a six-figure problem.
Client trust funds and the firm's operating funds must never commingle, even temporarily, even with the intent to "fix it later." Bar audits look for two things first: (1) any check or transfer that touches both accounts, (2) negative balances on any specific client's ledger. Both are presumptive misappropriation regardless of intent.
Trust-account violations produce some of the harshest discipline in professional regulation, including suspension and disbarment. The technicality has no defense based on good intentions.
Get Florida legal intelligence delivered to your inbox every morning.
Subscribe FreeView all past issues
Feature your brand across the U.S., Canada, and select international markets and 10 industry verticals.
Become a National Partner