State Bar of California Proceeds with Recommendations from the Committee on Special Discipline Case Audit for the Development of a California Trust Account Program

By Ian Ross On November 19, 2021, the State Bar of California’s Committee on Special Discipline Case Audit (Committee) submitted its Report to the Board of Trustees, recommending that the Board establish a Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) to Continue reading

State Bar’s Paraprofessional Proposal Returns from Public Comment; Revisions Likely Amid Opposition

By Andrea Lavelle On January 12, 2022, the 110 day public comment period ended for the State Bar’s California Paraprofessional Program Working Group’s (CPPWG) report and recommendations. After receiving more than 2,000 comments from 1,279 individuals and organizations, the Bar Continue reading

State Bar of California Announces George Cardona as Chief Trial Counsel  

By Ian Ross On August 27, 2021, the State Bar announced in a press release that it appointed George S. Cardona as the new Chief Trial Counsel for the attorney discipline system. The Chief Trial Counsel leads the Office of Continue reading

State Bar of California Approves Proposed Plan for Preventative Education for Attorneys

By Andrea Lavelle On July 22, 2021, the State Bar approved a five-year preventative education plan to develop and deploy self-assessment modules and e-learning courses for attorneys. According to the plan, the State Bar first discussed a self-assessment program in Continue reading

State Bar of California Releases Paraprofessional Program Working Report for Public Comment

By Andrea Lavelle On September 23, 2021, the State Bar Board voted after two hours of public comment, to release the California Paraprofessional Program Working Group’s (CPPWG) report and recommendations with a 110 day comment period. In 2019, the State Continue reading

California State Auditor Finds State Bar Did Not Effectively Manage Its System for Investigating and Disciplining Attorneys Who Abuse the Public Trust

By Ian Ross On April 29, 2021, Elaine Howle, the California State Auditor presented her audit of the State Bar of California’s discipline and bar examination administration systems. The State Auditor conducted this audit pursuant to section 6145(b) of the Continue reading

Two New Studies Reveal the California Bar Exam Cut Score’s Racially Disparate Impact, and State Bar of California Continues its own Study of the Bar Exam

By Juan M. Villalvazo In October 2020, two studies analyzing the various ways in which California’s minimum bar exam passing score (“cut score”) on the Bar exam impacts examinee outcomes. Both studies were conducted by the same authors, and were Continue reading

State Bar of California Board of Trustees Approves Appointees to Closing the Justice Gap Working Group

By Kirstin Jensvold-Rumage On November 2, 2020, the State Bar of California Board of Trustees Executive Committee approved the Board’s Appointments Liaisons’ recommended slate of two officers and sixteen members to the Closing the Justice Gap Working Group (CTJG Working Continue reading

California Supreme Court Approves State Bar Provisional Licensure Program for 2020 Law Graduates, Adopts Rule 9.49 of the California Rules of Court

By Juan M. Villalvazo On July 16, 2020, the California Supreme Court sent a letter to the State Bar of California, directing it to “implement, as soon as possible, a temporary supervised provisional licensure program—a limited license to practice specified Continue reading

Committee of Bar Examiners Holds Emergency Teleconference Meeting to Address Legal Education and Exam Administration in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Halie Turigliatti On March 30, 2020, the State Bar of California’s Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) held an emergency and special meeting over teleconference. The meeting began by voting to start an official emergency meeting, according to the Bagley-Keene Continue reading