Supreme Court of Florida
In Re: Amendments to the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar - Rules 11-1.3 and 11-1.9 (Biennial Petition)
April 13, 2017214 So. 3d 1232
Summary
The Court declined to adopt proposed amendments that would have allowed certified legal interns to obtain initial clearance through a Level 2 background investigation rather than the existing character-and-fitness screening process. It concluded that the proposal did not adequately ensure that interns who provide legal representation under supervision possess the character and fitness required for eventual admission to practice law. Justice Canady, concurring in result, would have referred the matter back to the Bar to develop a system placing clearance responsibility with the Bar itself.