Florida public defenders, struggling with high turnover and poor recruiting, are proposing a practice program for law school graduates that they say would also benefit prosecutors and legal services organizations.
“To me, it’s primarily an access-to-justice issue,” said veteran Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos Martinez, president of the Florida Public Defender Association.
The FPDA is proposing an amendment to Florida Bar Rule 11-1.8 (Practice After Graduation) that would permit law school graduates to practice for up to a year, under the supervision of an attorney, while they await Bar admission.
Martinez stressed that participants would have to complete a character and fitness background check.
The proposed amendment would add a subdivision (b) “Certification of Law School Graduates.”
The subdivision would state: “A graduate of an American Bar Association approved law school who has filed an application to The Florida Bar and received an initial clearance letter as to character and fitness from the Florida Board of Bar Examiners may make appearances for the maximum term of certification of 12 months from graduation for the same entities and under the same restrictions that are applicable to students in law school practice programs under this chapter….”
The certification would terminate if a graduate fails to take the next available bar exam, fails “any portion of the Florida bar examination on the second administration if a second administration is required,” or is...
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