What is a Florida Registered Paralegal? On November 15, 2007, the Florida Supreme Court issued an opinion establishing the Florida Registered Paralegal Program - Rule 20 of the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar. Rule 20 establishes a voluntary registration program for paralegals in the state of Florida and it becomes effective on March 1, 2008. A paralegal registered under Rule 20 is one that has attained a standard of education, work experience or national certification. In addition, the "Florida Registered Paralegal" or "FRP" must maintain a level of continuing education, adhere to a code of ethics, and is subject to disciplinary measures. As of April 9, 2008, nine hundred eleven paralegals have registered as FRPs.
The South Florida Paralegal Association (SFPA) has closely followed the proposed Chapter 20 rule proposal, formulated in response to the legislation which was first introduced in 2005 session and again in 2006 by Representative Juan Zapata. As many of our members had questions and wanted to discuss the developments of this important milestone in their profession, SFPA decided to create a special website as a forum for discussion and news, devoted solely to this topic.
Please browse the various pages for information and links to watch developments as well as join in the discussion of this important topic about the paralegal profession.