Florida Bar News November 1, 2024

In a significant step to promote pro bono legal work, the Florida Supreme Court has approved an amendment to Bar rules that will, for the first time, allow lawyers to earn continuing legal education (CLE) credit for providing pro bono services.

Acting October 31 in In Re: Amendments to Rules Regulating The Florida Bar – Rule 6-10.3, the court amended Rule 6-10.3 to allow Florida lawyers to earn one hour of general CLE credit for every hour of pro bono service up to five credit hours for each three-year reporting cycle. The court, however, held no CLE credit can be awarded for monetary donations to legal aid providers. The change is effective December 30 at 12:01 a.m.

The court issued its opinion in response to a petition submitted by The Florida Bar. The court, however, modified the Bar’s request for four hours of pro bono service in exchange for one CLE credit to allow one credit for each hour of pro bono service.

The amendment was prompted by a letter from the Supreme Court in August 2023, requesting the Bar to explore the potential for CLE or professionalism credit linked to pro bono participation. This request followed a report from the Special Committee on Greater Public Access to Legal Services, which highlighted the need for improved access to legal services and the importance of pro bono work.

The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors unanimously supported the proposed changes, which aim to enhance participation in pro bono activities while maintaining high standards for membership. The move is part of a broader effort to address the challenges in providing legal services and to encourage lawyers to engage more deeply with their communities.

Florida lawyers provided more than 1.7 million hours of pro bono service to people in need and contributed more than $11 million to legal aid organizations, according to the latest figures from The Florida Bar.