A total of 1,106 Florida attorneys have volunteered to answer the public’s legal questions through the American Bar Association’s virtual clinic, called ABA Free Legal Answers – the second-highest volunteer rate among all 50 states.
That was one of the data points in a new ABA report, titled “Profile of the Legal Profession 2023.” The number of Florida attorneys who have volunteered to take part in the clinic, which allows lower-income residents to pose civil legal questions to working lawyers, was second only to Illinois, whose participating attorneys now number 1,194.
The ABA launched the Free Legal Answers program in 2016, and since then more than 313,000 questions have been submitted, according to the report. Nationwide, 12,700 volunteer lawyers from 42 states and U.S. territories have taken part in the effort.
“The Florida Bar regularly shares the opportunity to volunteer for Florida Free Legal Answers with its members,” Jennifer Krell Davis, the Florida Bar’s spokesman, said in an email to the Florida Record. “The Florida Bar members are asked to donate pro bono hours or dollars each year, and this 100% online pro bono opportunity is quick and easy for members and is a great way to fulfill those pro bono goals.”
In addition, the Florida Bar uses the Free Legal Answers clinic as a means to help the Floridians after major storms or natural disasters, according to Davis, who said the bar has featured it on the Florida Bar’s Hurricane Info page.
Another trend brought up in the ABA report was how Florida’s population of active lawyers over the past decade grew faster than any other state – 24%, followed by North Carolina at 20%. Florida now has 84,594 attorneys, the fourth largest population of all states, according to the ABA.
“... From 2022 to 2023, the number of active lawyers (nationwide) counted by the survey rose slightly, by just over 4,000, or three-tenths of one percent,” the ABA report said. “The increase came mostly in three places – a 7,000 increase in Florida, another 7,000 increase in the District of Columbia and a 3,000 increase in Ohio.”
It’s not totally clear why the attorney population in Florida has been on the rise, according to Davis.
“We do not have data that would explain the increase in lawyers in Florida but would point to the general population growth of the state and the 11 ABA-approved law schools in Florida,” she said.
The number of paid civil legal aid attorneys in Florida, however, remains low compared to other states. In the Sunshine State, there are 1.7 civil legal aid attorneys serving low-income populations for every 10,000 residents, according to the ABA. Nationwide, the rate is 2.8 for every 10,000 people.
Florida’s poverty rate is 13.1% compared to 11.5% for the nation as a whole, the ABA report states.
Among states the ABA monitored for attorney sanctions, Florida had the highest number of attorneys who were publicly disciplined at 242, based on 2019 data. Florida also had the second highest number of suspended lawyers – 112 – with Texas finishing first at 142. In addition, Florida had the highest number of disbarred attorneys – 82 – that year among the states where data was provided.