A busy year comes to an end.

Even without the uninvited visits from four major hurricanes that disrupted many practices and prompted the Bar, under the leadership of the Young Lawyers Division, to mount a massive pro bono effort to help storm victims with their legal problems, this has been a busy year.

* The comprehensive review of the Bar's advertising rules occupied numerous hours of consideration. The Advertising Task Force 2004, under the capable leadership of former Board of Governors member Manny Morales, spent more than a year studying rules, taking testimony, and debating various rule changes. Its proposals were discussed by the Citizens Forum (a cross-section of Florida residents) and extensively publicized to Florida Bar members for their comments.

The board received a preliminary briefing at its December 2004 meeting, and an in-depth report on the task force's final recommendations at its January meeting. Then on April 8, the board held an extensive debate on each of the recommended proposals, accepting some, modifying others, and assembling a package of rule amendments that will be submitted to the Florida Supreme Court for approval. It is my hope that these rules as amended will be easier to follow and will more clearly define what is allowed and not allowed under our advertising rules.

Among the many changes, two are notable. One requires that all radio and TV ads be submitted and approved by the Bar before they are aired. The board took this position after careful deliberation and receiving outside legal advice. Print ads would retain the existing requirement that they be submitted to the Bar for review at or before the first publication.

The second change voted on by the board requires that all lawyer Web sites be subject to the Bar's advertising rules, except that they do not have to be filed for review. Currently, sites do not have to be reviewed and are exempt from some rules, such as the prohibition from discussing past results or characterizing the quality of legal services to be provided. (A story in the April 30 Bar News detailed these and other changes.)

* In years past, the Board of Governors has explored the concept of providing free legal research to our membership. I am delighted to announce that this will be a reality. The Fastcase legal research service will be offered free to all Bar members, and will provide all the basics in state and federal law. Bar members will be able to access the service at no charge through the Bar's Web site. Fastcase will also make its complete database available to Bar members at a steeply discounted price. We hope the service will be available shortly after you read this column.

* Diversity remained a top priority this year. I sought in my committee appointments to increase the number of women and minority lawyers who serve on Bar committees. But it was a somewhat frustrating experience as there was a dearth of such applicants.

To improve that situation and counter a perception that the Bar is not sufficiently inclusive, I have spent much of the past year visiting voluntary bars around the state. Incoming Bar President Alan Bookman, along with incoming President-elect Hank Coxe, are equally supportive of the need for a more inclusive Bar.

* The Bar held a very successful second annual diversity symposium in Tampa on April 22. The symposium was chaired by Ramon Abadin from Miami, who did an outstanding job. The retreat focused on diversity in employment, and was extremely well attended. I repeat my request from my opening remarks last June: Reach out to someone who is not like you and begin a dialogue with him or her about improving Florida's legal profession and making our system more inclusive for all attorneys.

* Judicial independence requires persistent attention. This area affects the selection and retention of our judiciary, adequate funding for the courts, and being a watchdog at the legislature for issues that, however well intended, could undermine the court's traditional role as a neutral arbiter of disputes.

A recent Miami Herald editorial commented on Congressional criticism of federal judges as undermining the "Constitution's demand for co-equal branches of government and a distinct separation of powers."

Taking an additional step to address this concern, I appointed a special board Committee on Judicial Independence chaired by long time Board of Governors member Jesse Diner. The committee is actively pursuing options to support judicial independence, and the Board of Governors recently made the Committee on Judicial Independence a permanent standing

Bar committee.

* Personally meaningful to me was the joint project of the Bar and The Florida Bar Foundation to produce a specialty license plate, "Kids Deserve Justice." The $25 extra fee for ordering the plate goes to the Foundation and supports legal services that help lower-income, disabled, abused, and neglected children. No administrative or other costs are taken out of the sales proceeds so every penny goes toward this worthy cause. The tag is now available and I encourage you to select it when renewing your car's license plate. This is an excellent way for all lawyers to support the need for children's legal services.

* Not to be overlooked are improvements to the Bar's Web site. First started in 1996, the Bar's site, www.flabar.org, has grown geometrically since, and is now an impressive compendium of information and resources for lawyers and the public alike. Since its creation, the site has never had a serious redesign, and our new Web site will have an improved appearance and more efficient presentation of information. Our goal has been the ability to find any information or resource on the site with no more than three clicks of a mouse. Streamlined navigation should be easily accomplished for the vast majority of the site.

These changes will be rolled out later this month, and the Bar will be showing off its revamped Web site at the Annual Meeting on June 22-25 in Orlando.

These are but a sample of the issues and projects that have occupied your Bar for the past year as it strives to better serve the profession and the public.

It has truly been my privilege to serve as president of The Florida Bar for 2004-05. I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to Bar members and members of the Board of Governors who have made this such a rewarding experience.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank our wonderful Bar staff for their outstanding service. Jack Harkness is simply "the best," and his team works hard on a daily basis to make our profession the best it can be. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.