LLC Drafting Task Force

 Chapter 608 LLC Drafting Task Force, chaired by Lou Conti, with the invaluable assistance of our Reporter Greg Marks and our recording secretary Steve Lear, will be holding drafting sessions in connection with our detailed evaluation of wholesale replacement of the Florida Limited Liability Company Act. This Task Force is typical of the long-standing commitment of the BLS to bringing updates and "fixes," as well as occasional entire re-writes of our Florida Business Entity Statutes. The BLS has taken the lead in drafting and seeking enactment of amendments of our Business Corporation Act, our Not- For-Profit Corporation Act, our General Partnership and Limited Partnership Acts, our LLC Act, the Florida Securities and Investor Protection Act, aspects of the Florida Uniform Commercial Code, and various other state statutes like the Trademark Act and the Assignment for Benefit of Creditors statute, which affect the commercial community of Florida.  These activities are some of the most rewarding for our membership. CLE credit is available for lawyers who participate in the LLC Drafting Sessions as there is a lot of subject matter expertise communicated in these sessions. A full listing of the LLC Drafting Task Force meetings will be made available on the web-site. There will be a special two full-day drafting session in Miami beginning the evening of February 25th and continuing all day on Friday & Saturday February 26 & 27, 2010.

click here to learn more about the LLC Drafting Task Force

FICPA

The FICPA Liaison Committee is focused on our outreach to the FICPA community of accountants. Its goal is to facilitate communication and interaction between The Florida Bar and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

click here to learn more ab out FICPA Liaison Committee

 Diversity Committee

Our newly-formed Diversity Committee is comprised of judges, academicians, and lawyers who represent a  broad cross-section of our membership. The focus of the Diversity Committee is to make the BLS an open and inclusive Section of the Bar, welcoming to all lawyers who are interested in enhancing diversity,  and mentoring lawyers of varied backgrounds and interests who want to become leaders of the Section and the Bar.  

click here to learn more about the Diversity Committee

Florida Attorneys Saving Homes (FASH) Needs You...

Thousands of Floridians are still at risk of foreclosure involving their residences and need  immediate representation to assist them in working with their lenders toward a positive resolution.  The Florida Attorneys Saving Homes Project, ("FASH") a joint effort by The Florida Bar, The Florida Bar Foundation and Florida Legal Services, provides pre-foreclosure pro bono representation to qualified homeowners through volunteer lawyers like yourself.

While FASH volunteers have been generous with the time they devote to the program, FASH needs many more volunteer lawyers to assist the HUNDREDS of eligible homeowners who are on a waiting list to be assigned an attorney.  As a volunteer, you do not have to provide representation if a foreclosure is filed, unless you feel qualified to do so.  Your representation is limited to advising the borrower of his/her options and if a modification of the loan is advised, negotiating with the lender

Recently, CFO Alex Sink, convened a roundtable forum in Tampa comprised of FASH representatives and representatives from Florida’s major lending institutions to discuss how the lenders could effectively work with the FASH program to achieve meaningful loan modifications for borrowers.  The discussions were encouraging and include each lender agreeing to identify an ombudsman to work with our volunteers  to improve communication between lenders and FASH lawyers.  FASH staff will be following up with the lenders to implement these recent commitments.

Please  volunteer for FASH.  To volunteer, please go to www.floridaprobono.org.