Recommendations emphasize technological competence: 'these are issues we believe needed board attention sooner rather than later'.

A short report from one of the Vision 2016 commission's committees at the Board of Governors' March 27 meeting showed how much that commission may revolutionize the Bar and the practice of law.

Within a few minutes, board member John Stewart, chair of Vision 2016's Technology Committee, said that committee is:

* Recommending that the comment to the Bar rule on professional competence be changed to include competence with technology related to a lawyer's areas of practice.

* Planning to recommend that the Bar's CLE requirement be increased by 20 percent with the extra time being devoted to technology courses.

* Recommending that the Special Committee on Technology become a permanent standing Bar committee.

* Recommending that a new board-level technology committee be created. Stewart said it would be the first new board committee in years, perhaps decades.

* Planning to recommend that the Bar should look to getting in the business, perhaps with private company partners, of online lawyer referrals and the providing of online legal documents. Stewart said the goal would be helping lawyers find new business and providing legal services to the 60 percent of the public who do not qualify for legal aid and cannot afford traditional legal services.

The board approved in concept creating the two new committees and Stewart said more of the recommendations will come to the board at its May meeting.

"These are issues we believe needed board attention sooner rather than later," Stewart said at the start of his presentation.

On technological competence and increasing the CLE requirement, Stewart noted the ABA three years ago added a comment to the model rules that lawyers should stay up on the benefits and risks of technology relevant to their practice areas. While 13 states have modified their rules to follow the ABA model, The Florida Bar has not, Stewart said, although there is a formal ethics opinion on the issue.

The committee is proposing, he continued, amending the comment to the Bar's competence rule to say lawyers should have technological competence in their practice area and also understand issues relating to preserving the confidentiality of electronic communications.

"One thing you can expect our committee to recommend is you cannot practice law competently if you don't have a basic level of technological competence in your practice area," Stewart said.

That in turn led to a review of CLE requirements.

"Right now we have 30 hours of required...

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