In Re: Amendments to Rules Regulating the Florida Bar and Rules of the Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar

Supreme Court of Florida
No. SC2025-2064

IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO RULES REGULATING THE FLORIDA
BAR AND RULES OF THE SUPREME COURT RELATING TO
ADMISSIONS TO THE BAR.

January 15, 2026

PER CURIAM.

On its own motion, the Court amends Rule of the Supreme

Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar 4-13.2 (Definition of

Accredited) to end the rule’s reliance on the American Bar

Association (ABA) as the sole accrediting agency for law schools

whose graduates are eligible to sit for this state’s General Bar

Examination. Additionally, the Court adopts conforming

amendments to Rules Regulating The Florida Bar 1-3.9 (Law

Faculty Affiliates), 4-6.6 (Short-Term Limited Legal Services

Programs), 11-1.2 (Activities), 11-1.3 (Requirements and

Limitations), 11-1.8 (Practice After Graduation), 12-1.2

(Definitions), 20-3.1 (Requirements for Registration), and 21-2.1
(Eligibility) and Rule of the Supreme Court Relating to Admissions

to the Bar 3-14.1 (Filed as an Applicant). 1

The Court appointed a workgroup to study this issue in

March 2025, the workgroup submitted a final report in October,

and at its December conference the Court voted to adopt the rule

changes announced today. Based on its independent study and its

consideration of the workgroup’s report, the Court is persuaded

that it is not in Floridians’ best interest for the ABA to be the sole

gatekeeper deciding which law schools’ graduates are eligible to sit

for the state’s General Bar Examination and become licensed

attorneys in Florida. Instead, the rule changes create the

opportunity for additional entities to carry out an accrediting and

gatekeeping function on behalf of the Court. The Court’s goal is to

promote access to high-quality, affordable legal education in law

schools that are committed to the free exchange of ideas and to the

principle of nondiscrimination. To be clear, under the rule

changes, graduates of ABA-accredited law schools will continue to

1. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 15, Fla. Const.; see also
Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.140(d); R. Regulating Fla. Bar
1-12.1.

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be eligible to sit for the bar examination, and the rule changes do

not preclude any law school from continuing to seek ABA

accreditation.

I. BACKGROUND

Rule 4-13.1 requires, subject to limited exceptions, applicants

for this state’s General Bar Examination to complete the

requirements for graduation, or receive a bachelor of laws or doctor

of jurisprudence, from an accredited law school before sitting for

the bar examination. Under rule 4-13.2, an accredited law school

is one approved or provisionally approved by the ABA at the time

of, or within twelve months of, the applicant’s graduation.

In March 2025, the Court established the Workgroup on the

Role of the American Bar Association in Bar Admission

Requirements, explaining that “[t]he Court is interested in

considering the merits of the rules’ continued reliance on the ABA

and whether changes to the rules are warranted.” In re Workgroup

on the Role of the American Bar Association in Bar Admission

Requirements, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC25-15 (Mar. 12, 2025).

The Workgroup’s charges included examining the Court’s rules as

they relate to the ABA’s role in accrediting law schools and the

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requirements for admission to The Florida Bar; studying related

state and federal requirements; evaluating the pros and cons of

Florida’s current regulatory framework; and proposing potential

alternatives that might merit the Court’s consideration, including

alternatives that would end the rules’ reliance on the ABA. Id. at

1-2. The Workgroup was directed to conduct its study guided by

the goals of promoting excellence in Florida’s legal profession;

supporting high-quality, cost-effective, innovative legal education

in a nondiscriminatory setting; protecting the public; and meeting

Floridians’ need for legal services. Id. at 2.

In October 2025, the Workgroup submitted its final report

identifying twelve potential alternatives to the rules’ reliance on the

ABA. See Workgroup on the Role of the American Bar Association

in Bar Admission Requirements, Final Report (Oct. 27, 2025). All

twelve alternatives were within the Court’s constitutional authority,

with nine capable of implementation by the Court acting

independently and three requiring collaboration with the ABA or

other supreme courts. See art. V, § 15, Fla. Const. (“The supreme

court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to regulate the admission of

persons to the practice of law and the discipline of persons

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admitted.”); Final Report, supra, at 28-44.

The alternatives included discrete changes, such as directly

addressing ABA accreditation standards that require or result in

discrimination, or expanding recognition of law schools to include

those accredited by a United States Department of Education-

recognized institutional accrediting agency (with or without

additional Court-imposed conditions). See Final Report, supra, at

29-34. The alternatives also extended to broader structural

reforms, including the implementation of a Court-approval

mechanism for law schools, which could take various forms, such

as the adoption of a defined set of essential standards with which

law schools must comply or the establishment of a comprehensive

state-accreditation system. Id. at 30, 34-39.

After consideration of the Workgroup’s report, the Court

adopts the amendments discussed below.

II. AMENDMENTS

Rule 4-13.2, which currently defines the term “accredited” to

mean any ABA-approved or provisionally approved law school, is

amended to instead define the term “accredited law school.” As

amended, the term refers to any law school approved or

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provisionally approved by (1) a programmatic accrediting agency

recognized by the United States Department of Education to

accredit programs in legal education that lead to the first

professional degree in law or (2) an institutional accrediting agency

recognized by the United States Department of Education to

accredit institutions of higher education, provided the institutional

accrediting agency is also approved by the Court. The amendment

does not alter the existing requirement that the approval or

provisional approval of the law school occur at the time of, or

within twelve months of, the applicant’s graduation.

The effect of this amendment is to expand the accrediting

agencies by which a law school may be approved or provisionally

approved for purposes of graduate eligibility to sit for this state’s

General Bar Examination. At present, the ABA is the sole

programmatic accreditor recognized by the United States

Department of Education to accredit programs in legal education

that lead to the first professional degree in law. 2 The Court

2. See Programmatic Accrediting Agencies, U.S. Dep’t of Educ.,
https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-
policy/college-accreditation/programmatic-accrediting-agencies
(last visited Dec. 11, 2025).

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acknowledges that additional programmatic accreditors for legal

education programs may be recognized in the future and expresses

its support for that possibility; this amendment is intended to

accommodate that outcome. Under the amended rule, graduates

of ABA-accredited law schools will continue to qualify to sit for the

state’s General Bar Examination, and graduates of law schools

accredited by any subsequently recognized programmatic

accreditor will be afforded the same eligibility.

The amendment also encompasses law schools accredited by

an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the United States

Department of Education to accredit institutions of higher

education and approved by the Court. At the time of the

Workgroup’s research, the department recognized seven

institutional accrediting agencies to accredit institutions offering

degree programs, including those leading to the first professional

degree in law; none of those agencies appeared to have existing

law-school-specific standards. Final Report, supra, at 31-34.

Although the Court has not finalized the procedure governing

Court approval of institutional accreditors, it anticipates contacting

such accreditors to assess their interest in accrediting law schools

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under standards focused on the quality of legal education and

successful student outcomes. These standards may include

requirements for law schools relating to credit hours, curriculum,

disclosures to prospective students, bar passage rates, employment

outcomes, compliance with federal and state law, protections for

academic freedom, or other requirements the Court determines

appropriate.

Finally, the Court notes that multiple provisions in the Rules

Regulating The Florida Bar and Rules of the Supreme Court

Relating to Admissions to the Bar refer to the accreditation of law

schools by the ABA. The Court adopts conforming amendments to

align those provisions with the revised definition of “accredited law

school.”

III. CONCLUSION

Accordingly, the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar and the

Rules of the Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar are

amended as set forth in the appendix of this opinion. New

language is underscored; deletions are indicated by struck-through

type. The amendments shall become effective on October 1, 2026,

at 12:01 a.m. Because the amendments were not published for

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comment prior to their adoption, interested persons shall have 75

days from the date of this opinion in which to file comments with

the Court. 3

We thank the Workgroup for its hard work on this matter and

appreciate its diligence in evaluating these issues.

It is so ordered.

MUÑIZ, C.J., and COURIEL, GROSSHANS, FRANCIS, and
SASSO, JJ., concur.
LABARGA, J., dissents with an opinion.

THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER
THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS.

LABARGA, J., dissenting.

Since 1992, the American Bar Association (ABA) has been the

3. All comments must be filed with the Court on or before
March 31, 2026, as well as a separate request for oral argument if
the person filing the comment wishes to participate in oral
argument, which may be scheduled in this case. If filed by an
attorney in good standing with The Florida Bar, the comment must
be electronically filed via the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (Portal).
If filed by a nonlawyer or a lawyer not licensed to practice in
Florida, the comment may be, but is not required to be, filed via the
Portal. Any person unable to submit a comment electronically must
mail or hand-deliver the originally signed comment to the Florida
Supreme Court, Office of the Clerk, 500 South Duval Street,
Tallahassee, Florida 32399; no additional copies are required or will
be accepted.

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sole law school accreditor recognized in the Court rules. 4 The ABA’s

role as the sole accreditor was memorialized in Rule of the Supreme

Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar 4-13.2, by simply defining

the term “accredited” to mean any ABA-approved or provisionally

approved law school. Thus, for the past thirty-four years, Florida

law schools meeting the ABA’s rigorous standards were awarded

their accreditation and their graduates proceeded to take the

Florida General Bar Examination. Over time, that thorough process

culminated in over 115,000 applicants taking the Oath of

Admission to The Florida Bar, rendering The Florida Bar the third

largest state bar association in the country.

Regrettably, under the guise of expanding the accrediting

agencies for law schools in Florida, the majority has taken the

extraordinary step of divesting the ABA of its three decades long

status as the sole accreditor of Florida law schools. I cannot agree

4. According to the Workgroup on the Role of the American
Bar Association in Bar Admission Requirements, Final Report
(Oct. 27, 2025), “[t]he Rules’ reliance on the ABA stretches back
decades. The ABA ‘has been the sole accrediting body recognized in
the Court’s [R]ules since 1992,’ and the Rules ‘have relied on ABA
accreditation since 1955.’ ” Id. at 9 (second alteration in original)
(citation omitted).

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with this action.

As emphasized by proponents of the status quo to the

Workgroup selected by the Court to study the role of the ABA

admission requirements, the ABA has developed incomparable

expertise in the accreditation process:

ABA accreditation safeguards a baseline of legal
educational quality and support. This includes various
Standards that seek to ensure that law schools have the
basic infrastructure and capacity to deliver high-quality
legal education. These Standards cover such areas as
financial resources, academic standards, academic
advising and support, faculty qualifications, student
support services, library and facilities requirements,
learning outcomes, curriculum requirements, and
experiential and distance learning.

Workgroup, Final Report, 17 (citations omitted).

The proponents added that “the Standards provide consumer

protections, public accountability, and institutional transparency

. . . by, among other things, promoting informed student-making

and protecting against predatory admissions and poor programs

outcomes. These Standards cover such areas as bar passage rates,

admissions practices, and required public disclosures.”

Workgroup, Final Report, 17-18 (citations omitted).

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Crucial to Florida, as the sole law school accreditor for three

decades, the ABA has cultivated unmatched proficiency in dealing

with Florida law-school-specific issues that would require decades

for any successor to develop. As is the case with any large entity

engaged in providing service to the public, refinements can always

be made. However, replacing an established entity with an

unknown alternative is detrimental in the context of disputes.

Because I strongly believe that the best course for our legal

educational system, our legal system, our profession, and above all,

for Floridians is to stay the course with the ABA as the sole law

school accreditor, I strongly dissent to the course taken by the

majority today.

Original Proceeding – Florida Rules Regulating The Florida Bar and
Rules of the Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to The Bar

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APPENDIX

RULES REGULATING THE FLORIDA BAR

RULE 1-3.9. LAW FACULTY AFFILIATES

Full-time faculty members in the employment of law schools in
Florida approved by the American Bar Association who are admitted
to practice and who are in good standing before a court of any state
may become “law faculty affiliates” of The Florida Bar. Law faculty
affiliates may participate in such activities of The Florida Bar as
may be authorized by the board of governors, but shall not be
entitled to engage in the practice of law, appear as attorneys before
the courts of the state, or hold themselves out as possessing such
entitlements. For purposes of this rule, the term “law school” means
a law school accredited by an accrediting agency described in Rule
of the Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar 4-13.2(a) or
(b).

RULE 4-6.6. SHORT-TERM LIMITED LEGAL SERVICES
PROGRAMS

(a) A lawyer who, under the auspices of a program
sponsored by a nonprofit organization, court, government agency,
bar association, or an American Bar Association-accredited law
school accredited by an accrediting agency described in Rule of the
Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar 4-13.2(a) or (b),
provides short-term limited legal services to a client without
expectation by either the lawyer or the client that the lawyer will
provide continuing representation in the matter:

(1)-(2) [No Change]

(b) [No Change]

RULE 11-1.2. ACTIVITIES

(a) Definitions. As used in this chapter:

(1) “Accredited law school” means a law school

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accredited by an accrediting agency described in Rule of the
Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar 4-13.2(a) or (b).

(2) A “Llaw school practice program” ismeans a credit-
bearing clinical program coordinated by a law school in which
students directly provide representation to clients in litigation
under the supervision of a lawyer.

(b)-(f) [No Change]

RULE 11-1.3. REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITATIONS

In order to make an appearance under this chapter, the law student
must:

(a)-(b) [No Change]

(c) be enrolled in an American Bar Association-approved
accredited law school in the United States and appear as part of a
law school practice program;

(d)-(h) [No Change]

RULE 11-1.8. PRACTICE AFTER GRADUATION

(a) Certification. A law student at an American Bar
Association-approved Floridaaccredited law school in Florida who
has applied for admission to The Florida Bar, received an initial
clearance letter as to character and fitness from the Florida Board
of Bar Examiners, completed a law school practice program
awarding a minimum of 3 semester credit hours or the equivalent
or requiring at least 200 hours of actual participation in the
program, and whose law school dean has withdrawn certification
for the program may make appearances for any of the same
supervisory authorities under the same circumstances and
restrictions that were applicable to students in law school programs
under this chapter if the supervising lawyer:

(1)-(3) [No Change]

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(b) Certification of Law School Graduates. A graduate of
an American Bar Association-approvedaccredited law school who
has filed an application to The Florida Bar and received an initial
clearance letter as to character and fitness from the Florida Board
of Bar Examiners may appear for the maximum term of certification
of 18 months from graduation for the same entities and under the
same restrictions that apply to students in law school practice
programs under this chapter if the supervising lawyer:

(1)-(3) [No Change]

(c)-(e) [No Change]

RULE 12-1.2. DEFINITIONS

(a) Emeritus Lawyer. An “emeritus lawyer” is any person
who meets the following eligibility and requirements.

(1) Eligibility. An emeritus lawyer must be a person
who:

(A)-(C) [No Change]

(D) is or was a full-time law professor employed by
a law school accredited by the American Bar Associationan
accrediting agency described in Rule of the Supreme Court Relating
to Admissions to the Bar 4-13.2(a) or (b); or

(E) [No Change]

(2) [No Change]

(b)-(d) [No Change]

(e) Active Practice of Law. The “active practice of law” as
used in this chapter includes, but is not limited to, private practice,
working as an authorized house counsel, public employment
including service as a judge, and full-time employment as a law
professor at or by an American Bar Association accrediteda law

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school accredited by an accrediting agency described in Rule of the
Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar 4-13.2(a) or (b).

RULE 20-3.1. REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION

In order to be a Florida Registered Paralegal under this
chapter, an individual must meet 1 of the following requirements.

(a) Educational and Work Experience Requirements. A
person may become a Florida Registered Paralegal by meeting 1 of
the following education and paralegal work experience
requirements:

(1)-(4) [No Change]

(5) a juris doctorate degree from an American Bar
Association accredited institutionala law school accredited by an
accrediting agency described in Rule of the Supreme Court Relating
to Admissions to the Bar 4-13.2(a) or (b), plusand:

(A) a minimum of 1 year of paralegal work
experience; or

(6) a juris doctorate degree from an American Bar
Association accredited institution and

(B) licensure in good standing in a United States
jurisdiction other than Florida, with no minimum paralegal work
experience.

(b)-(c) [No Change]

RULE 21-2.1. ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for certification under this chapter, the
applicant must:

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(a) [No change]

(b) hold a J.D. or LL.B. degree from a law school accredited
by the American Bar Associationan accrediting agency described in
Rule of the Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar 4-
13.2(a) or (b) at the time the applicant matriculated or graduated;

(c)-(l) [No change]

RULES OF THE SUPREME COURT RELATING TO
ADMISSIONS TO THE BAR

Rule 3-14.1 Filed as an Applicant. Applicants are required to
file complete Bar Applications. Transcripts required by this rule
must be sent directly to the board from the educational institutions.
The application will not be deemed complete until all of the
following items have been received by the board:

(a) [No Change]

(b) a Certificate of Dean certifying the applicant’s graduation
from a law schoolan accredited by the American Bar Associationlaw
school;

(c)-(g) [No Change]

Rule 4-13.2 Definition of Accredited Law School. An
“accredited” law school” is any law school approved or provisionally
approved by the American Bar Association, at the time of the
applicant’s graduation or within 12 months of the applicant’s
graduation, by:

(a) a programmatic accrediting agency recognized by the
United States Department of Education to accredit programs in
legal education that lead to the first professional degree in law; or

(b) an institutional accrediting agency that is recognized by

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the United States Department of Education to accredit institutions
of higher education and that is approved by the court.

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