Florida Legal Organizations
According to the ABA 2019 National Lawyer Population Survey, Florida is the state with the fourth-highest number of resident active attorneys. The survey showed Florida had 78,448 active lawyers living in the state. Only New York, California, and Texas, have a higher number of resident active attorneys.
For lawyers practicing in Florida, the attorney must be a member of The Florida Bar. On a voluntary basis, attorneys in Florida join legal organizations including regional, minority, and specialty bar associations and other non-profit organizations.
The Florida Bar
The Florida Bar651 E. Jefferson Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Phone: (850) 561-5600
www.floridabar.org
The Florida Bar started out as a small group of lawyers in 1889 that grew into Florida's mandatory bar association today of over 90,000 members. The Florida Bar doesn't license lawyers – that's a function of a Supreme Court committee – but it does prosecute unethical lawyers, advise on advertising practices, administer a client protection fund, govern a substance abuse program, and provide continuing education programs for lawyers. Additionally, the Florida bar provides the following for the public: legal periodicals, public information programs, ethics and law management advice, conferences, and meetings.
The Florida Bar recently launched a newly-enhanced online Lawyer Referral Service in Florida. The LRS website was created to help the public find a qualified attorney online. The new LRS website provides an easy-to-navigate search feature to find more than 600 participating Florida attorneys across 120 practice areas.
Other organizations associated with the Florida Bar include:
- Florida Bar Foundation
- Florida Bar – Trial Lawyers Section
www.floridabar.org
In 1982, the Florida Supreme Court established a process to recognize attorneys who take the extra steps necessary to have their experience and competence evaluated for a particular specialty area of the law. Board Certification is the highest level of evaluation offered by the Florida Bar. Florida is home to the second-largest attorney specialization program in the country. More than 4,800 attorneys in Florida have been designated by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization as board-certified specialists in 26 different specialty areas of the law. Read more »
www.facdl.org
Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Inc., (FACDL) is a not for profit corporation formed in 1988. Since its formation, FACDL has continued to promote excellence in the practice of criminal law and protect the rights of the accused. FACDL is the leading statewide... Read more »
The Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys (AFELA) is an organization for Florida elder law attorneys providing advocacy, education, and action on behalf of seniors and people with disabilities. As the Florida state chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), FELA is one of the largest chapters. Membership in AFELA requires membership in NAELA and adherence to its aspirational standards for professional behavior.
www.floridajusticeassociation.org
The Florida Justice Association (FJA), formerly the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers (AFTL), works to protect the rights of individuals living in Florida to seek justice in the state's civil court system. With more than 3,000 members, FJA attorneys focus on representing plaintiffs in personal injury, medical malpractice, insurance, auto litigation... Read more »
Attorneys also organize themselves into city, county, and regional associations including:
- Miami-Dade Justice Association
www.pbcja.org
Established in 1988, the Palm Beach County Justice Association (also known as the "The Palm Beach County Trial Lawyers Association") is a countywide organization of more than 400 trial attorneys that represent the plaintiff in civil cases.
www.pbchispanicbar.com
The Palm Beach County Hispanic Bar Association (PBCHBA) supports the Hispanic community in South Florida through volunteer programs and stands behind Hispanics seeking a position in the judiciary in Palm Beach County. The PBCHBA understands the Spanish-speaking population’s struggles and seeks to provide assistance to those in need.
Local Specialty Bar Associations in Florida
Attorneys in Florida organize themselves into specialty bar associations organized at the local level.
- Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida
- Dade County Defense Bar Association
- Florida Creditors Bar Association
- Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association
- Northern District of Florida Bankruptcy Bar Association
- Palm Beach County Hispanic Bar Association
- Puerto-Rican Bar Association of Florida
- South Miami Kendall Bar Association
- Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association
Florida Minority Bar Associations
Attorneys organize themselves into bar associations based on supporting attorneys and others with minority status based on race, gender, nationality, or religion including:
- Asian-Pacific American Bar Association Tampa Bay
- Asian Pacific American Bar Association of South Florida
- Broward County Hispanic Bar Association
- Caribbean Bar Association
- Central Florida Gay & Lesbian Law Association
- Christian Lawyers Association
- Colombian-American Bar Association
- Cuban-American Bar Association
- Florida Muslim Bar Association
- George Edgecomb Bar Association
- Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers’ Association
- Hispanic Bar Association Central Florida
- Hispanic Bar Association Northeast Florida
- Hispanic National Bar Association Region VIII
- South Asian Bar Association Florida
- Tampa Bay Hispanic Bar Association
- Daniel Webster Perkins Bar Association
- Josiah T. Walls Bar Association
- Paul C. Perkins Bar Association
- Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr Bar Association
- F. Malcom Cunningham Sr. Bar Association
- T.J. Reddick Bar Association
Bar Associations of Women Lawyers in Florida
Attorneys organize themselves into bar associations that support women lawyers including the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL). The local chapters of FAWL including:
- 8th Circuit
- Brevard County Association for Women Lawyers (BCAWL)
- Broward County Women Lawyers' Association
- Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers (CFAWL) (Orlando)
- Citrus Hernando
- Collier County Women's Bar Association
- Hillsborough County Association for Women Lawyers (HAWL)
- Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association
- Lee County Asociation for Women Lawyers (LCAWL)
- Manatee
- Marion
- Martin
- Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers
- Northwest Florida (Pensacola)
- Okaloosa Florida Association for Women Lawyers
- FAWL Palm Beach Chapter
- Women Lawyers of Pasco
- Pinellas Association for Women Lawyers (PFAWL)
- Polk
- St Johns Association of Women Lawyers
- St. Lucie
- Sarasota Chapter of the FAWL
- Seminole
- South Palm Beach
- Tallahassee Women Lawyers
- Volusia/Flagler
Florida Regional Bar Associations
Attorneys organize themselves into bar associations at the city, county, and regional level in Florida.
- Bay County Bar Association
- Brandon Bar Association
- Brevard County Bar Association
- Broward County Bar Association
- Cape Coral Bar Association
- Carrollwood Community Bar Association
- Citrus County Bar Association
- Clay County Bar Association
- Clearwater Bar Association
- Collier County Bar Association
- Collier County Women’s Bar Association
- Coral Gables Bar Association
- Dade County Bar Association
- Escambia Santa Rosa Bar Association
- Flagler County Bar Association
- Hardee County Bar Association
- Hendry-Glades Bar Association
- Hernando County Bar Association
- Highlands County Bar Association
- Hillsborough County Bar Association
- Indian River County Bar Association
- Jacksonville Bar Association
- Jefferson County Bar Association
- Lake County Bar Association
- Lakeland Bar Association
- Lee County Bar Association
- Manatee County Bar Association
- Marion County Bar Association
- Martin County Bar Association
- Miami Beach Bar Association
- Miami Lakes Bar Association
- Monroe County Bar Association
- Nassau County Bar Association
- North Broward Bar Association
- North-Dade Bar Association
- Okaloosa Walton County Bar Association
- Okeechobee Bar Association
- Orange County Bar Association
- Osceola County Bar Association
- Palm Beach County Bar Association
- Panhandle Bar Association
- Pasco County Bar Association
- Pinellas County Mid-County Bar Association
- Plant City Bar Association
- Port St. Lucie Bar Association
- Putnam County Bar Association
- Sarasota County Bar Association
- South Broward Bar Association
- South Palm Beach County Bar Association
- St. Johns County Bar Association
- St. Lucie County Bar Association
- St. Petersburg Bar Association
- Sumter County Bar Association
- Tallahassee Bar Association
- Temple Terrace Bar Association
- Volusia County Bar Association
- West Pasco Bar Association
- Winter Haven Womens’ Bar Association
Circuit Level Bar Associations in Florida
Attorneys organize themselves into bar associations based on the circuit in which they practice which might include more than one county.
- Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association
- Third Judicial Circuit Bar Association
Other Bar Associations in Florida
- Florida Government Bar Association
- Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society
- Southwest Florida Chapter National Bar Association
- Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter National Bar Association
Founded in 1922, the Palm Beach County Bar Association serves its members, fosters professionalism, and enhances the public’s understanding and awareness of the legal system. The PBCBA provides public service activities and gives back to the community.
Additional Resources
This article was last updated on Friday, April 2, 2021.
Florida Legal Organizations
