The Florida Bar

The Florida Bar is the "arm" or agent of The Florida Supreme Court for attorney regulation and discipline. Article V, Section 15 of the Constitution of the State of Florida gives the Supreme Court of Florida exclusive authority to regulate the admission of persons to the practice of law and the discipline of those persons who are admitted to practice. The Court performs those official functions through two separate arms: the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, which screens, tests and certifies candidates for admission to the practice; and The Florida Bar, the investigative and prosecutorial authority in the lawyer regulatory process. Prior to adoption of Florida’s current version of Article V, the Supreme Court created our state’s unified bar by its own action, in the case of Petition of Florida State Bar Ass'n, 40 So.2d 902 (Fla. 1949). The Supreme Court further specifies the powers and duties of the Bar through its Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, which superseded the Integration Rule in 1986 that had previously contained such guidance - see In Re Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, 494 So.2d 977 (Fla.1986)