Recently, the Florida Supreme Court officially endorsed a rule which removed courses on “bias elimination” from the ethics classes that Florida attorneys are required to undertake for maintaining their law licenses. This action is seen as the most recent attempt by the state high court to eradicate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training from the state bar.
Many Florida attorneys have criticized this move, and it has also sparked dissent from Justice Jorge Labarga. The court announces that the changes they have made will apply retroactively from the beginning of the current year.
The most recent ruling from the court markedly diverges from the earlier guidelines that had been put forward by The Florida Bar committees. It’s clear that the boundaries surrounding legal training and DEI are shifting in Florida, and possibly setting trends for changes in other jurisdictions.
Continuing legal education plays a substantial role in an attorney’s career. These events not only solidify the state’s decision to exclude DEI training from the bar but may also signal larger shifts in the legal landscape. Attorneys and firms across the country are likely studying these developments closely, both in terms of their implications for legal practice and for what they signal about the evolving nature of the law.