The state Supreme Court has directed The Florida Bar to stop appointing delegates to the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, citing concerns about alignment with the Bar’s core mission.
The ABA website describes the House of Delegates as the national association’s policymaking body that adopts resolutions that shape its positions on a wide range of professional and public issues.
The Florida Bar reports that in a June 12 letter to TFB leadership, Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz, writing on behalf of the court, excluding Justice Jorge Labarga, expressed concern that participation in the ABA’s policymaking body could entangle the Bar in contentious political or policy debates.
“As you know, The Florida Bar’s core mission is to assist the Court in regulating the legal profession in Florida,” Muñiz wrote.
“Florida Bar members are a large group with diverse views. To stay focused on its mission, and out of respect for its members, the Bar strives to avoid entangling itself, even indirectly, in contentious policy debates. The Bar’s practice of making appointments to the ABA’s House of Delegates is inconsistent with that goal.”
Muñiz requested that The Florida Bar immediately cease appointing representatives to the ABA House of Delegates; rescind or withdraw current appointments while noting that individuals may still seek appointments through other channels; and amend Standing Board Policies 1.40 and 1.41 to reflect the change.
Adam Edgecombe, a partner at Cobb & Gonzalez, was appointed in January to be the Jacksonville Bar Association’s representative in the House of Delegates, succeeding Alan Pickert, a partner at Terrell Hogan.