Real Estate Certification.

• Author: Cohrs, Denis A.
• Position: Annual Reports of Committees of the Florida Bar: 2018-2019

The Real Estate Certification Committee had another busy year. In addition to the chair, the 2018-19 members of the committee are Vice Chair Robert Fleitas III, of Miami, immediate Past Chair Mary A. Robison of Jacksonville, Past Chair William Kramer of Ft. Lauderdale, Diana Davis Basta of Palm Harbor, Michael Chesser of Shalimar, Charles Klug, Jr., of Tampa, Lynn Lovejoy of Tallahassee, Past Chair Deborah Boyd of Port St. Lucie, Wylie Boston of Orlando and Michelle Hinden of Orlando. By having committee members from all reaches of our diverse state we are able to construct an examination that is representative of the practice of real estate law throughout our state. We are also very honored that the 2018 Board Certified Attorney of the Year, Meredith Level, was not only a member of our committee, but also a past chair.

The committee is charged with evaluating and approving lawyers who apply to become board certified in real estate law, evaluating and approving existing board certified real estate lawyers for recertification (every five years), and preparing and grading the annual certification exam. The latter process takes up the bulk of the committee's time and effort. As dictated by the Florida Supreme Court, the evaluation of applicants necessarily involves the determination of whether an applicant meets the highest standards of professionalism and ethics. This process is often difficult and is taken very seriously by the committee members. The committee strives to prepare the exam from year to year in a manner that best tests those high standards as well as the knowledge and skill expected of members of The Florida Bar holding themselves out as experts in real estate law.

The real estate certification program was established in 1986 with the first class becoming board certified in 1987. Real estate has historically been the second-largest area of certification in terms of number of individuals who are board certified by The Florida Bar. There are currently 454 board certified lawyers, 13 of which (out of 35 exam takers) became certified in 2018, and 43 lawyers are...