Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice John D. Couriel will keynote the Florida Bar Business Law Section's 2026 Legislative Update on October 30 at the Florida International University College of Law in Miami. The all-day program starts at 8 a.m. and covers the year's legislative, judicial and regulatory developments affecting Florida business law. Registration costs $235 for Business Law Section members, $305 for non-members and $165 for students.
For business owners and counsel-adjacent readers, the value of an event like this is not the keynote itself. It is the compression: a full year of statutory amendments, court decisions and agency activity, arranged into a single day. That compression is worth understanding even for readers who never attend, because it maps what actually changed — and what a business should check its own practices against.
This guide explains what a legislative update program like this one covers, why each topic on the agenda matters to a functioning business, and how to turn a day of continuing legal education into concrete follow-up work.
What does the October 30 program actually cover?
According to The Florida Bar, the event explores the latest legislative, judicial and regulatory developments affecting Florida business law. The published agenda lists six update areas: the nonprofit corporation statute, the Florida trademark statute, Florida business case law, voluntary trial resolution, AI strategy and legislative developments with practical advice to business clients, and Florida business courts — their practice insights, functional importance and future.
Chief Justice Couriel's keynote is the anchor, but the working sessions carry the practical weight. Each topic pairs a recent change with what practitioners should do about it. That structure — change, then consequence — is the standard shape of a legislative update, and it is the same structure a business can use for its own annual legal review.
Why statutory updates matter to every business, not just lawyers
A statute is a law passed by the legislature. When a legislature amends a business statute, the rules a company already operates under can shift without any action by the company. The nonprofit corporation statute is a good example: organizations formed under it must follow the version of the law currently in force, not the version that existed when they filed their paperwork.
The trademark statute works the same way. Trademark law protects names, logos and brand identifiers from confusingly similar use by others. When a state trademark statute changes, registration and enforcement practice changes with it. Small businesses that registered a state mark years ago may need to revisit how they maintain and defend it. Our guide to trademark protection for small business covers the clearance and registration steps that sit underneath those statutory changes. We covered a connected angle in Trademark Protection for Small Business: Clearance Searches, USPTO Registration and Enforcement.
What business case law updates tell you
Case law is the body of court decisions that interprets statutes and contracts. A single appellate ruling can change how a contract clause is read across the state, which is why case law updates are a standing feature of programs like this one.
For a business, the practical takeaway is narrower than it sounds. Most companies do not need to track every ruling. They need to know when a decision touches a provision they actually use — an arbitration clause, a limitation of liability, a non-compete. Our explainer on arbitration clauses in business contracts walks through how federal law and forum choice shape those provisions, which is the kind of question a case law update typically answers.
How to use a CLE program without attending
The October 30 event offers up to 8 general CLE credits and 1 Technology CLE credit, plus 8 certification program credits in business litigation and 1 certification credit in intellectual property law, per The Florida Bar. Continuing legal education (CLE) is the training requirement lawyers must meet to keep their licenses active. Those credit figures tell you the program is a full working day, not a networking lunch.
Readers who are not lawyers can still borrow the method. A workable annual review looks like this:
- List the statutes your business actually operates under — formation, employment, contracts, any licenses.
- Check each for amendments passed in the last legislative session.
- Ask counsel whether any recent court decision affects a contract provision you use.
- Update templates, policies and filings to match, and note the date of each change.
If your structure questions run deeper — whether an LLC or a corporation fits the business — our comparison of how owners should choose a business structure covers the baseline rules each structure carries. Readers following this should also see LLC or Corporation: How Owners Should Choose a Business Structure.
What happens next with the October 30 event
The program is scheduled for Friday, October 30, starting at 8 a.m. at the FIU College of Law, located at 11291 Southwest 12th Street in Miami. Registration and details are available through The Florida Bar. For readers outside Florida, the model still travels: most state bars run an equivalent annual business law update, and the six-topic agenda above is a reasonable checklist for any state's version of it.
This article is general information, not legal advice. For decisions about your own filings or contracts, consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.
