Waves of Change: 'Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.' - John F. Kennedy.

• Author: Stewart, John M.
• Position: President's page

On June 7, 1949, the Florida Supreme Court issued an opinion that created The Florida Bar. The court stated in part, "Growing populations and changing conditions necessarily give rise to social and economic complexes that require wisdom and discretion to cope with. The [B] and should be the first sector of the population to comprehend this and order its house to meet such emergencies." Since then, The Florida Bar has grown from 3,758 members to more than 106,000, and Florida's population has grown from almost 2.7 million to nearly 21.7 million. With that growth in population and the legal profession has come the social and economic complexities that the Florida Supreme Court predicted. In that time, The Florida Bar has established itself as a national leader. Now, 70 years later, we are called upon again to be a leader in shaping the profession and the practice of law for the benefit of both the public and our members. The leadership and members of The Florida Bar must be the architects of this rapidly changing legal landscape.

As a third-generation Florida lawyer, following my grandfather's start in 1925 and my father's start in 1970, time hasn't changed our roles much. We are still counselors at law--always pursuing justice yet guiding our clients on the individual path that is right for them and their businesses. But time has brought with it many changes that have impacted our profession and the ways in which we conduct our business, particularly in terms of technology.

For the past 20 years, I've been involved in Bar service. It wasn't until 2013 that I gained the opportunity to learn the challenges involved with technology--from simple email communication to alternative (often online) legal service providers. Although the advantages of technology are clear, there are many questions that should be asked: How do we maintain past traditions as lawyers with the current trends facing us in terms of technological advances? How do we introduce potential new rules, or change existing ones, that allow for more ethical opportunities for Florida lawyers in this new digital age? How will those changes benefit members and the public? How do we as leaders guide the Bar as...