The Opinions Standards Committee of The Florida Bar Business Law Section is pleased to provide you with a composite report (the “Composite Report”) in Word format which integrates the “Report on Third-Party Legal Opinion Customary Practice in Florida” that was adopted in December 2011 by both the Legal Opinion Standards Committee of The Florida Bar Business Law Section and the Legal Opinions Subcommittee of the Real Property Finance and Lending Committee of The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section (the “2011 Report”) with the “First Supplement to the Report on Third-Party Legal Opinion Customary Practice in Florida,” dated July 24, 2021, as adopted by the respective Sections (the “First Supplement”) as one cohesive document.
We believe that the Composite Report will make it much easier for legal practitioners to reference and use the 2011 Report and the First Supplement, by eliminating the need to flip back and forth between the 2011 Report and the First Supplement to identify the changes to the 2011 Report that were implemented in the First Supplement.
The 2011 Report and the First Supplement have each held up well over time and are well-respected throughout the country. They provide guidance to Florida attorneys who render third-party legal opinions and to both Florida and out-of-state attorneys who, on behalf of their clients, receive third-party legal opinions from Florida attorneys. We believe that Florida and non-Florida attorneys alike benefit from their guidance on the nature and meaning of legal opinions with respect to Florida law and the diligence recommended to render such opinions. The 2011 Report and the First Supplement comprise an excellent practice guide covering most aspects of Florida third-party legal opinion practice. We think you will find that having the Composite Report significantly improves the ease of use of and thus the benefits provided by the 2011 Report and the First Supplement.
The following is a link to a copy of the Composite Report: Composite Report
We send special thanks to Robert Barron at Berger Singerman who put much effort into assembling and proofing the Composite Report.
Of course, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of the following:
Gary I. Teblum, Co-Chair
Legal Opinions Standards Committee Business Law Section
(813) 227-7457
gteblum@trenam.com
Stefan Rubin, Co-Chair
Legal Opinions Standards Committee Business Law Section
(407) 835-6735
SRubin@shutts.com
Robert C. Brighton, Jr., Vice-Chair