LOCAL BAR ASSOCIATION SPONSORED LAWYER REFERRAL BYLAWS

The bylaws or rules and regulations that govern an existing lawyer referral service or the proposed bylaws or rules and regulations that will govern a proposed lawyer referral service must include the following.

(a) Proof of Professional Liability Insurance. All members of the lawyer referral service must maintain and provide proof to the sponsoring local bar association of professional liability insurance in the minimum amount of $100,000, unless the proposed lawyer referral service itself carries professional liability insurance in an amount not less than $100,000 per claim or occurrence.

(b) Membership Restricted to Geographic Area. All members of the lawyer referral service must maintain an office in the geographic area served by the proposed lawyer referral service.

(c) Membership Eligibility. Membership in the lawyer referral service is limited to members of The Florida Bar in good standing with no pending disciplinary matters in which probable cause has been found by any court or other authorized disciplinary agency of any jurisdiction.

(1) Membership will be denied if, at the time of the initial application, the applicant:

(A) has a disciplinary matter with a finding of probable cause pending in any court or other authorized disciplinary agency of any jurisdiction;

(B) has received within the past 5 years:

(i) any discipline by any court or other authorized disciplinary agency of any jurisdiction; or

(ii) any judgment, conviction (whether or not adjudicated), or determination in a court or administrative proceeding of the commission of any act of false statement, fraud, dishonesty, or misrepresentation;

(C) has received within the past 10 years:

(i) any determination by any court or other authorized disciplinary agency of any jurisdiction resulting in suspension; or

(ii) disciplinary revocation, disciplinary resignation, disbarment, or their equivalents of the applicant’s license to practice law; or

(D) is currently on probation with any court or other authorized disciplinary agency of any jurisdiction, in which case the lawyer referral service will not consider the application until the lawyer has successfully completed the probationary period.

(2) The lawyer referral service will suspend membership of a member if probable cause is found by any court or other authorized disciplinary agency of any jurisdiction.

(3) The lawyer referral service will remove a member if the member has:

(A) willfully failed to abide by the bylaws or rules of the proposed lawyer referral service;

(B) signed any application or other certification or report to the proposed lawyer referral service that is found to be untrue in any material respect; or

(C) become ineligible to provide the legal services for which persons are referred.