R. Regulating Fla. Bar 1-3.11 · 1-3. MEMBERSHIP

APPEARANCE BY NON-FLORIDA LAWYER IN AN ARBITRATION PROCEEDING IN FLORIDA

Verbatim from the official edition

Text — October 1, 2026 edition

(a) Non-Florida Lawyer Appearing in an Arbitration Proceeding in Florida. A lawyer currently eligible to practice law in another United States jurisdiction or a non-United States jurisdiction may appear in an arbitration proceeding in this jurisdiction if the appearance is:

(1) for a client who resides in or has an office in the lawyer’s home state; or

(2) where the appearance arises out of or is reasonably related to the lawyer’s practice in a jurisdiction in which the lawyer is admitted to practice; and

(3) the appearance is not one that requires pro hac vice admission. The lawyer must comply with the applicable portions of this rule and of rule 4-5.5.

(b) Lawyer Prohibited from Appearing. No lawyer is authorized to appear under this rule if the lawyer:

(1) is disbarred or suspended from practice in any jurisdiction;

(2) is a Florida resident;

(3) is a member of The Florida Bar but ineligible to practice law;

(4) has previously been disciplined or held in contempt by reason of misconduct committed while engaged in representation permitted under this rule;

(5) has failed to provide notice to The Florida Bar or pay the filing fee as required by this rule, except that neither notice to The Florida Bar nor a fee is required for lawyers appearing in international arbitrations; or

(6) is engaged in a “general practice” as defined elsewhere in these rules.

(c) Application of Rules Regulating The Florida Bar. Lawyers permitted to appear by this rule are subject to these Rules Regulating The Florida Bar while engaged in the permitted representation, including, without limitation, rule 4-5.5.

(d) General Practice Prohibited. Non-Florida lawyers are not permitted to engage in a general practice under this rule. In all arbitration matters except international arbitration, a lawyer who is not admitted to practice law in this jurisdiction who files more than 3 demands for arbitration or responses to arbitration in separate arbitration proceedings in a 365-day period is presumed to be engaged in a “general practice.”

(e) Content of Verified Statement for Leave to Appear. The non-Florida lawyer must file a verified statement with The Florida Bar and serve a copy of the verified statement on opposing counsel, if known, before practicing under this rule in all arbitration proceedings except international arbitrations. If opposing counsel is not known at the time the verified statement is filed with The Florida Bar, the non-Florida lawyer must serve a copy of the verified statement on opposing counsel within 10 days of learning the identity of opposing counsel. The verified statement must include:

(1) a statement identifying all jurisdictions in which the lawyer is currently eligible to practice law including the lawyer’s bar number or attorney number for each jurisdiction;

(2) a statement identifying by date, case name, and case number all other arbitration proceedings in which the non-Florida lawyer has appeared in Florida in the preceding 5 years; however, if the case name and case number are confidential pursuant to an order, rule, or agreement of the parties, this information does not need to be provided and only the dates of prior proceedings must be disclosed;

(3) a statement identifying all jurisdictions in which the lawyer has been disciplined in any manner in the preceding 5 years and the sanction imposed, or in which the lawyer has pending any disciplinary proceeding, including the date of the disciplinary action and the nature of the violation;

(4) a statement identifying the date on which the legal representation at issue commenced and the party or parties represented; however, if the name of the party or parties is confidential pursuant to an order, rule, or agreement of the parties, this information does not need to be provided and only the date on which the representation commenced must be disclosed;

(5) a statement that all applicable provisions of this rule have been read and that the verified statement complies with this rule;

(6) a certificate indicating service of the verified statement on all counsel of record in the matter and upon The Florida Bar at its Tallahassee office; and

(7) a verification by the lawyer seeking to appear under this rule.

(f) Nonrefundable Fee. The application to The Florida Bar must be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee made payable to The Florida Bar. The lawyer appearing in any arbitration proceeding in Florida except international arbitrations must pay an annual nonrefundable renewal fee each year after the initial filing for each year that lawyer continues to appear in any arbitration proceeding in Florida. The initial nonrefundable application fee, the annual nonrefundable renewal fee, and the date on which the annual renewal fee must be paid will be set by the Bar’s executive director as approved by the board of governors. The Florida Bar will provide the Florida Supreme Court with 30 days’ notice prior to the effectiveness of any increase in the amount of a nonrefundable fee or of the imposition of any new fee.

(g) Reports to The Florida Bar. The lawyer appearing under this rule must report to The Florida Bar within 30 days of the lawyer withdrawing from representation in the arbitration or the arbitration proceedings concluding. The lawyer appearing under this rule must report to The Florida Bar annually the lawyer’s status of appearance in arbitration proceedings in Florida, except international arbitrations, on a form and by a date approved by The Florida Bar.

Notes and commentary — not rule text

Comment

This rule applies to arbitration proceedings held in Florida where 1 or both parties are being represented by a lawyer admitted in another United States jurisdiction or a non-United States jurisdiction. For the most part, the rule applies to any type of arbitration proceeding and any matter being arbitrated. However, entire portions of subdivision (d) and subdivision (e) do not apply to international arbitrations. For the purposes of this rule, an international arbitration is defined as the arbitration of disputes between 2 or more persons at least 1 of whom is a nonresident of the United States or between 2 or more persons all of whom are residents of the United States if the dispute (1) involves property located outside the United States, (2) relates to a contract or other agreement which envisages performance or enforcement in whole or in part outside the United States, (3) involves an investment outside the United States or the ownership, management, or operation of a business entity through which such an investment is effected or any agreement pertaining to any interest in such an entity, (4) bears some other relation to 1 or more foreign countries, or (5) involves 2 or more persons at least 1 of whom is a foreign state as defined in 28 U.S.C. §1603. International arbitration does not include the arbitration of any dispute pertaining to the ownership, use, development, or possession of, or a lien of record upon, real property located in Florida or any dispute involving domestic relations. The exceptions provided in this rule for international arbitrations in no way exempt lawyers not admitted to The Florida Bar and appearing in Florida courts from compliance with the provisions of rule 1-3.10 and any applicable rules of judicial administration, regardless of whether the court proceeding arises out of or is related to the subject of a dispute in an international arbitration. For example, a lawyer not a member of The Florida Bar could not appear in a Florida court or confirm or vacate an award resulting from an international arbitration without being authorized to appear pro hac vice and without complying with all requirements contained in rule 1-3.10 and the applicable rules of judicial administration.

History

Added May 12, 2005, effective Jan. 1, 2006 (907 So.2d 1138); amended Sept. 11, 2008, effective Jan. 1, 2009 (991 So.2d 842); amended August 28, 2025, effective October 27, 2025 (SC2025-0020).

Source of truth

Edition: October 1, 2026 edition
Official file: https://www-media.floridabar.org/uploads/2026/10/2027_04-OCT-RRTFB-10-1-2026.pdf (PDF pages 30–34)
Text hash: sha256 f8fbfb5efed2ad10b40cf21736b1678aa490462839ba0773d9a8e1fc6948ef64
Composed by: compose_bar.py 2026-10-04: the edition's printed headings as the inventory (reconciled to its bookmarks both ways), pypdfium2 primary, PyMuPDF check, every word of each span accounted for

composed from the PDF edition; both extractors agree

This rule cites

Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.

Rules Regulating The Florida Bar

R. Regulating Fla. Bar 4-5.5UNLICENSED PRACTICE OF LAW; MULTIJURISDICTIONAL PRACTICE OF LAWPrinted as rule 4-5.5

Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.