The Florida Bar re: Advisory Opinion u2014Out-of-State Attorney Working Remotely from Florida Home
The Florida Supreme Court approved a Standing Committee on the Unlicensed Practice of Law advisory opinion concluding that an attorney licensed in New Jersey and New York, who relocated to Florida and works remotely from his Florida home for a New Jersey firm solely on federal intellectual property matters, does not engage in the unlicensed practice of law. Because the attorney does not practice Florida law, serve Florida clients, or hold out any Florida presence, he does not establish an 'office or other regular presence' in Florida for the practice of law under Rule 4-5.5(b)(1).
Key facts
- New Jersey and New York licensed attorney relocated to Florida and worked remotely from his home for a New Jersey law firm, handling exclusively federal intellectual property matters with no Florida clients or Florida law practice.
- The Florida Supreme Court approved a Standing Committee advisory opinion addressing whether the out-of-state attorney's remote work arrangement constituted unlicensed practice of law under Florida Rule 4-5.5(b)(1).
- +2 more key facts with a free trial
Why it matters
This is the Florida Supreme Court's authoritative answer to a question that arose acutely with pandemic-era remote work: out-of-state lawyers may live in Florida and work remotely for out-of-state firms without… — full analysis with a trial
🔒 Read the full opinion, holding & search the library
The full opinion PDF, the rules the court applied, our significance analysis, the background facts, and full-text search across every tracked Florida decision are available to members. Start a free 30-day trial — no credit card.
Not ready to sign up? Get the free Friday digest — the week's key Florida decisions by email, no login required.
Florida Court Tracker provides summaries of publicly available court opinions for informational and research purposes only. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney–client relationship. Always verify holdings against the official opinion.