61B-80.107. Who May Appear; Criteria for Other Qualified Representatives

(1) Any person who appears before any arbitrator has the right, at that person’s own expense, to be accompanied, represented and advised by a member of the Florida Bar or by a qualified representative who is not a member of the Florida Bar, but who shall demonstrate his or her familiarity with and understanding of these rules of procedure, and with any relevant portions of Chapter 720, F.S., and the rules promulgated by the division.

(2) If a person wishes to be represented by a qualified representative, the arbitrator shall make diligent inquiry of the prospective representative during a non-adversarial proceeding, under oath, to assure that the prospective representative is qualified to appear in the arbitration proceedings and is capable of representing the rights and interests of the person. In lieu of the above, the arbitrator may consider the prospective representative’s sworn affidavit setting forth the representative’s qualifications.

(3) If the arbitrator is satisfied that the prospective non-attorney representative has the necessary qualifications to render competent and responsible representation of the homeowner’s interest in a manner that will not impair the fairness of the proceedings or the correctness of the action to be taken, the arbitrator shall authorize the prospective non-attorney representative to appear in the pending arbitration.

(4) A representative named in the initial petition or who has filed a notice of appearance shall remain the representative of record and shall receive pleadings and continue in a representative capacity until the representative’s withdrawal has been approved in writing by the arbitrator.

(5) Any successor or associated attorney or other non-attorney representative shall file a notice of appearance prior to, or at the time of, the filing of any pleading with, or appearance before, the arbitrator.

(6) Standards of Conduct.

(a) A representative shall exercise due diligence in the filing and argument of any motion or pleading. All motions or pleadings shall be filed and argued in good faith.

(b) The signature of a representative upon any motion or pleading shall constitute a certificate that the representative has read the motion or pleading, that to the best of the representative’s knowledge it is supported by good faith grounds and that it has not been presented solely for the purpose of delay.

(c) A representative shall advise the client to observe and to obey the law.

(d) A representative shall not:

1. Engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation; or engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of the arbitration process;

2. File a pleading, assert a position, conduct a defense, delay an arbitration proceeding or take other action on behalf of the client when such action would serve merely to harass or maliciously injure another;

3. Handle a legal or factual matter which the representative knows or should know that the representative is not competent to handle without associating an attorney or another qualified representative; or handle a legal or factual matter without adequate preparation;

4. State or imply that he or she is able to improperly influence the arbitrator or any agency or public official;

5. Communicate or cause another to communicate with an adverse party regarding matters at issue in the arbitration proceeding where the representative knows that the adverse party is represented by an attorney or other qualified representative;

6. Disregard or advise the client to disregard a rule or statute of an agency or a ruling of an arbitrator made in the course of an arbitration proceeding;

7. Conceal or knowingly fail to disclose that which one is bound to reveal by law;

8. Knowingly use perjured testimony or false evidence, or withhold any evidence that the representative or the client should produce;

9. Knowingly make a false statement of law or fact;

10. Advise or cause a person to secrete himself or herself for the purpose of making the person unavailable as a witness therein; pay, offer to pay or acquiesce in the payment of compensation to a witness contingent upon the content of the witness’s testimony or the outcome of the case; counsel or advise a witness to provide other than honest testimony.

Specific Authority 718.1255(4)(i), 718.112(2)(j)5., 720.303(10)(d), 720.306(9), 720.311(1) FS. Law Implemented 720.303(10), 720.306(9), 720.311(1)  FS. History–New 2-3-05.