Amend Florida bar admission rules to admit without examination qualified attorneys who are spouses of active duty service members stationed in Florida
I, an attorney barred in the State of Florida,support a rule change to the Florida bar admission rules to admit without examination qualified attorneys who are married to active duty service members stationed in Florida. The attorney must prove admission in one other state and be in good standing in all states in which s/he is admitted and prove that his/her spouse is in Florida due to current orders from the US Government. Six states have already adopted rule changes and we know that Florida is next!
The White House, the American Bar Association, and the Conference of Chief Justices have each voiced support for the elimination of licensing barriers for military spouse attorneys. Now, with your help, we can lead an initiative to amend Florida’s bar admission rules.
Updates
May 15, 2014
I was just reading through another batch of stories from military spouses who have had to leave their careers behind over and over again because of these rules and it is frankly exhausting just thinking about the cycle for them. I have been spending my nights digging into exactly which committees we need to corner next because the silence from the state offices is getting pretty loud but I refuse to let that stop this momentum.
44 Comments
I am a Virginia barred attorney. This rule would directly affect me as we are moving to NAS Pensacola in July 2015. Please assist me and all other military spouses so we can work in our profession and contribute to our household.
I support this petition. I am an attorney licensed in Texas and DC and my husband is in the US Army. We move around quite a bit and it becomes difficult to have to worry about taking a bar exam in order to make a living. Please amend your laws.
I am not a member of the FL bar, but I support this rule change as a law student with CLI certification from the Florida Bar who is attending law school in Florida and married to an Army officer stationed in Florida.
I am not a member of the FL bar, but as a military spouse attorney licensed in Texas married to a serviceman domiciled in Florida, I support this rule change that will make continued law practice much more accessable to those of us who move around with our spouses.
As a military spouse and a licensed attorney, I support this petition 100%. This move benefits military families as well as the communities in which they are stationed - keeping spouses gainfully employed and giving back in taxes and spending in the local economy.
We are begging you to please allow this more than reasonable accommodation for military spouses.
I support the rule change as an attorney barred in Florida (bar number = 104727) who is married to an active duty service member and is going through the process of moving to another state. As a military spouse, moving will be a common occurrence and taking a new bar exam is not only expensive but to the individual, but also to the family. First, there is the time frame the spouse is not wirking and without income because they have to study for, and take, the bar. Secondly, the cost of a bar review course is astronomical. Even as an alumni to a bar review course, the rates for a bar review course start at $1,500 and can go as high as about $4,000. These factors not only affect the spouse, but also the servicemember and family who have to provude financial support throughout this process. Please consider the aforementioned when reviewing this petition. Thank you!
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Amend Florida bar admission rules to admit without examination qualified attorneys who are spouses of active duty service members stationed in Florida
I, an attorney barred in the State of Florida,support a rule change to the Florida bar admission rules to admit without examination qualified attorneys who are married to active duty service members stationed in Florida. The attorney must prove admission in one other state and be in good standing in all states in which s/he is admitted and prove that his/her spouse is in Florida due to current orders from the US Government. Six states have already adopted rule changes and we know that Florida is next!
The White House, the American Bar Association, and the Conference of Chief Justices have each voiced support for the elimination of licensing barriers for military spouse attorneys. Now, with your help, we can lead an initiative to amend Florida’s bar admission rules.
Updates
May 15, 2014
I was just reading through another batch of stories from military spouses who have had to leave their careers behind over and over again because of these rules and it is frankly exhausting just thinking about the cycle for them. I have been spending my nights digging into exactly which committees we need to corner next because the silence from the state offices is getting pretty loud but I refuse to let that stop this momentum.
44 Comments
I am a Florida residence currently barred in Maryland and the wife of a deployed USAF pilot. We currently live in Florida and this rule would allow me and other military spouses to continue to practice law as we support our spouses and our country.
I am a Virginia barred attorney. This rule would directly affect me as we are moving to NAS Pensacola in July 2015. Please assist me and all other military spouses so we can work in our profession and contribute to our household.
I support this petition. I am an attorney licensed in Texas and DC and my husband is in the US Army. We move around quite a bit and it becomes difficult to have to worry about taking a bar exam in order to make a living. Please amend your laws.
I am not a member of the FL bar, but I support this rule change as a law student with CLI certification from the Florida Bar who is attending law school in Florida and married to an Army officer stationed in Florida.
I am not a member of the FL bar, but as a military spouse attorney licensed in Texas married to a serviceman domiciled in Florida, I support this rule change that will make continued law practice much more accessable to those of us who move around with our spouses.
As a military spouse and a licensed attorney, I support this petition 100%. This move benefits military families as well as the communities in which they are stationed - keeping spouses gainfully employed and giving back in taxes and spending in the local economy.
We are begging you to please allow this more than reasonable accommodation for military spouses.
I support the rule change as an attorney barred in Florida (bar number = 104727) who is married to an active duty service member and is going through the process of moving to another state. As a military spouse, moving will be a common occurrence and taking a new bar exam is not only expensive but to the individual, but also to the family. First, there is the time frame the spouse is not wirking and without income because they have to study for, and take, the bar. Secondly, the cost of a bar review course is astronomical. Even as an alumni to a bar review course, the rates for a bar review course start at $1,500 and can go as high as about $4,000. These factors not only affect the spouse, but also the servicemember and family who have to provude financial support throughout this process. Please consider the aforementioned when reviewing this petition. Thank you!
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I am a Florida residence currently barred in Maryland and the wife of a deployed USAF pilot. We currently live in Florida and this rule would allow me and other military spouses to continue to practice law as we support our spouses and our country.