How do you know if a lawyer is eligible to practice law in Florida?

I get a lot of hits from google asking this question, so, here is the answer! If you want to find out the status of an attorney in Florida, you can go to the Florida Bar’s website at http://www.floridabar.org/ and look at the top right corner for the box that says “Find a Lawyer”. Alternatively, you can try this direct link http://www.floridabar.org/names.nsf/MESearchDK?OpenForm. You can enter any combination of first and/or last names and City. You can also choose “sounds like” if you aren’t sure about the exact spelling of the name. If the attorney you are looking for is found, the results will tell you if they are eligible or not eligible to practice law in Florida. It will give you plenty of other information as well, including their contact information. If the name you are searching for does not appear, that is a good sign that they are not a member of The Florida Bar, although make sure to cover all your bases as far as name spelling etc.