With no objections from its members, The Florida Bar’s 2007-08 budget has been approved for forwarding to the Supreme Court.
The Bar Board of Governors adopted the budget at its March meeting, and when no Bar members objected after the budget was advertised in the April 30 Bar News, it became automatically approved.
The board did authorize one minor amendment for the new budget at its June 1 meeting in Key West. That change was to approve a $9,400 appropriation for the new Standing Committee on Physician-Attorney Relations. Of that, $2,600 will come from the Bar’s general fund and $6,800 from a redistribution of Bar staff time.
The new budget year starts July 1, and for the seventh year in a row, annual membership fees will remain at $265 for active members and $175 for inactive members.
The budget projects an almost $600,000 surplus for 2007-08, with revenues of $36.9 million and expenditures of $36.3 million. That compares with this year’s $34.5 million in revenues and $34.2 million in expenditures.
The budget does not include any expenditures or revenues from the proposed paralegal regulation program, which is now pending at the Supreme Court. If that is approved, the budget will be amended to reflect the costs and income from that program, according to Jesse Diner, outgoing Budget Committee chair.
The largest expenditures in the Bar budget will remain with its legal regulatory operations. Lawyer regulation, ethics, professionalism, lawyer advertising, membership records, and related operations are budgeted at just under $16 million, compared to $14.9 million for 2006-07. About two-thirds of that goes to lawyer regulation.
Other parts of the budget include:
• Income from member annual fees is expected to be $21.8 million, compared to $20.2 million for the current year.
• The Bar anticipates receiving $6.5 million from the sale of goods and services — such as CLE programs and legal publications — compared to $5.5 million for the current year.
• Revenues from advertising in the Bar News, Journal, and Journal directory issues are forecast at $2.2 million, up from $2.1 million for 2006-07.
• Unlicensed practice of law operations are budgeted at $1.5 million, up about $30,000.
• The cost of products and services sold to members is projected at $7.7 million, up from $7 million.
• Communications programs, including the Bar’s public information and Journal and News operations, are budgeted at $4.1 million, up from $3.9 million.
• Public service programs, which include the Clients’ Security Fund and the Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service, are budgeted at $2.6 million, up from $2.5 million.
— Courtesy The Florida Bar News