Every year, there are updates and changes to the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar and new Ethics Opinions. We are fortunate to have knowledgeable attorneys standing by on the Ethics Hotline responding to calls from our members. Because it’s a new year, we are going to discuss some of the changes that have recently gone into effect as well as review other important ethics and advertising rules. In today’s episode hosts Christine Bilbrey and Karla Eckardt welcome back Florida Bar Ethics...

The Florida Supreme Court has partnered with the Bar to declare November “Legal Professionalism Month” and is asking members to rededicate themselves to the highest ideals of professionalism and civility in all they do.  To close out the month and as reference going forward, we thought we'd discuss how to navigate the new normal as it pertains to our virtual or socially distanced workplace interactions with colleagues and clients. In today’s episode hosts Christine Bilbrey and Karla Eckardt...

Don’t let popular headlines fool you into thinking that only large firms with enormous bank accounts and ties to potentially criminal activity are at risk of cyberattacks. The reality is that firms small and large store client files full of confidential and personally identifiable information making them valuable targets to cyber criminals. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month so this month’s episode will focus on one of the tenants of cybersecurity, protecting your files.     In today’s...

Here at the Practice Resource Center, we frequently get calls from lawyers who are thinking about starting their own firms and we explain that they will be doing two jobs: practicing law and running a small business.   In this latest episode, host Christine Bilbrey speaks with Amie Remington to discuss why law firms should consider outsourcing some or all their human resource functions.  Amie Remington is the Chief Legal Officer for Transport Leasing Contract Inc. of the TLC Companies, a...

Today, practicing law requires a lot more technology know-how than in the past. Back in 2016, The Florida Supreme Court increased the number of mandatory CLE hours to include 3 in technology. We know that members are taking advantage of our large library of free CLE courses to get technology credit, but some lawyers have managed to successfully avoid actually using technology either by having support staff deal with it or by being very dependent on an IT specialist. In today’s episode hosts...

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg received her B.A. from Cornell University, attended Harvard Law School, and, in 1959, went on to graduate top of her class at Columbia Law School. Despite these impressive accomplishments, she didn’t receive a single job offer upon graduation. She persevered and eventually became the second woman to ever serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. We’ve come a long way since the days where, like Justice Ginsburg, women lawyers were offered lower salaries because...

Helping others gives a lawyer’s work meaning but carrying the weight of their client’s stress and trauma can also exact a heavy toll on a lawyer’s well-being. Secondary trauma is caused when one is indirectly exposed to someone else’s trauma, and it can develop into secondary traumatic stress which manifests itself in ways that mimic PTSD. Secondary Trauma can especially affect lawyers, judges, and child advocates like Guardian ad litem that work in juvenile justice, criminal justice, and...

Social media platforms have become ubiquitous marketing tools. According to a report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and conducted by PwC, social media advertising revenues reached $41.5 billion in 2020, which is nearly 30% of all internet advertising revenue. So, how can Florida lawyers leverage social media to create impactful advertisements while ensuring compliance with Florida Bar ethics rules?  To help answer this question, hosts Christine Bilbrey and Karla Eckardt speak with...

In March, The Florida Bar announced the launch of a test program—The Florida Bar Tech Support Helpline—to assist solo and small firm lawyers with technology issues and assistance. The three-month beta initiative is an experiment to see if solo and small firm lawyers could benefit from a non-emergency IT helpline. It runs through June 15.  The program, operated by LawTech Partners, is intended to serve solo and small-firm lawyers who typically can’t afford full-time IT departments or managers;...

In 2020 the Florida Supreme Court adopted a presumptive three-month parental leave rule for many court cases that would require judges to grant a lead attorney’s request for leave for the birth or adoption of a child. More recently, The Florida Bar’s...

Pre-COVID, legal professionals operated in a world centered around in-person interactions; meeting with clients, colleagues, appearing in court, attending mediations, the list goes on. COVID took all human interactions virtual and now even happy hours...

The Florida Courts E-Filing Portal system links all of the 20 judicial circuit courts, the 5 District Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court – all through one single, integrated Portal website. Usage of the E-Filing Portal has grown significantly since...

Many of our listeners are new, solo, or small firm attorneys, so we like to explore and demystify as many topics as we can to help them in their practices. In this episode we explore the court reporting and captioning industry. Court reporters have long...

2020 has been an unprecedented time of change for everyone and needless to say, there is a lot to talk about. So, for this final episode of 2020, hosts Christine Bilbrey and Karla Eckardt discuss the year’s greatest hits, including the most frequently...

Back in 2006 when the idea of a Florida Registered Paralegal program was being considered, Judge Ross Goodman who was chair of the Special Committee to Study Paralegal Regulation stated “I think lawyers are going to realize the benefits of having this...

The COVID-19 Pandemic has forced practitioners to quickly adopt new technologies, such as video conferencing. But there are serious privacy and security obligations that must be considered when utilizing these technologies and handling the information...

Practicing law was stressful enough before COVID-19 exacerbated the anxiety and depression that can come from worrying about finances, job security, or the health of loved ones. In response, The Florida Bar fast tracked the debut of the free, 24/7/365...

While many lawyers likely credit much of their success to their high IQ’s, studies have shown that the happiest and most successful people also possess high emotional intelligence (EI or EQ).    In this episode hosts Christine Bilbrey and Karla Eckardt...

Some attorneys have been using alternatives fee arrangements for years while others have staunchly held on to the traditional billable hour model. In the face of the current pandemic, many in the billable hour camp have been forced to innovate and...

Wondering about the difference between a qualifying provider and a lawyer referral service? Are you interested in becoming a qualifying provider or participating with one? Are you familiar with The Rules Regulating the Florida Bar that specifically...

As we’ve discussed in previous episodes and articles, COVID-19 has prompted law firms to reassess their business continuity plans with many lawyers facing challenges that will permanently impact their careers. While some are going solo, others have...

The Florida Bar Podcast welcomes Judge Robert Hilliard, Rebecca Bandy, and Jack Newton to explore their perspectives on the legal profession’s shift to remote work during the pandemic. This episode, The Science of Working from Home (Course # 4041), has been approved by The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Department for the following CLE credits: - General - 2.0 hrs - Technology - 1.0 hrs - Mental Health Awareness - 1.0 hrs

Patricia Savitz explains the Florida Bar’s requirement for members to designate an inventory attorney under Rule 1-3.8.

John Montaña answers common questions about law firm data storage in an increasingly digital practice.

George Martin and Lisa Hardy explain the many types of help available to attorneys through an employee assistance program.