Our legislative role.

• Author: Bookman, Alan B.
• Position: Florida - President's Page

Our 2005 survey of Bar membership showed that 74 percent of our members rate our legislative efforts as desirable or highly desirable. That ranked about in the middle of Bar programs and five percent better than the 2003 survey.

As the legislature gets set to begin its 2006 regular session in March, it is critical to remember the important role the Bar's legislative activities play for both the profession and the legal system.

One of our primary tasks will be working with the legislature as it looks at ways to amend the state constitution. The Bar has offered technical assistance for that work, and taken the position that future amendments should solely affect an existing provision of the constitution, deal with the basic rights of citizens, or the structure of government in articles II, III, IV, and V.

The legislature is also engaged in a constitutional streamlining effort, which could see some constitutional provisions, with voter approval, converted into statutes.

We constantly monitor all filed bills for those that could affect the legal system and our profession. We'll be listing those bills on the Bar's Web site for your review and action.

As always, a major challenge will be defending the independence of the judiciary, a process that often is educational rather than adversarial. With term limits, each legislative biennium brings many new faces and fresh ideas. But it also requires that the Bar educate these well-meaning individuals--many of whom have had little contact with the legal system--about the third branch of government, the legal profession, and the independence of the judiciary.

It is common for new lawmakers who were initially hostile to courts or the Bar to become strong supporters after Bar representatives meet with them, answer their questions, and offer to be a resource in their legislative endeavors. And it isn't just the Bar's formal legislative program in Tallahassee that does this. Our Key Contact program that has hometown lawyers contact their lawmakers has been a vital part in this education and communication effort. The key contact program involves you. If you have a good working relationship with any member of the legislature, please let us know so we can further contact you to engage in discussion with your legislator on matters of importance to the legal profession. Your participation in the legislative process is extremely important.

The Bar offered its assistance to the executive and legislative branches of...