DEFINITIONS

(a) Authorized House Counsel. An authorized house counsel is any person who:

(1) is either licensed to practice law in a United States jurisdiction other than Florida or admitted or otherwise authorized to practice as a lawyer or counselor of law or the equivalent in a foreign jurisdiction and subject to effective regulation and discipline by a duly constituted professional body or public authority or subject to recognized legal obligations pertaining to their status as lawyers;

(2) is exclusively employed by a business organization located in Florida and is residing in Florida or relocating to Florida for employment within 6 months of the application under this chapter and receives or will receive compensation for activities performed for that business organization;

(3) has completed an application for certification as required elsewhere in this chapter; and

(4) has been certified as an authorized house counsel by the Supreme Court of Florida.

(b) Business Organization. A business organization is a corporation, partnership, association, or other legal entity (taken together with its respective parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates) authorized to transact business in this state that is not itself engaged in the practice of law or the rendering of legal services outside of the organization, whether for a fee or otherwise, and does not charge or collect a fee for the representation or advice other than to entities comprising that organization by the activities of the authorized house counsel. A business organization does not include a governmental entity, governmental subdivision, political subdivision, or school board, or any other entity that has the authority to levy a tax. Added April 21, 1994 (635 So.2d 968); Amended March 18, 1999 (746 So.2d 442); May 20, 2004 (SC03-705) (875 So.2d 448); December 20, 2007, effective March 1, 2008 (SC06-736)(978 So.2d 91); November 19, 2009, effective February 1, 2010 (SC08-1890) (34 Fla.L.Weekly S628a), amended November 9, 2017, effective February 1, 2018 (SC16-1961).