Bill > AB2784

This bill makes various changes to the laws governing the State Bar of California, which is the public corporation and administrative arm of the California Supreme Court responsible for licensing, regulating, and disciplining attorneys in the state. Specifically, the legislation reaffirms the State Bar’s status as a judicial branch agency, updates open meeting rules to allow closed sessions for confidential applicant and disciplinary matters under the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (a law requiring state boards to conduct business openly), and extends the State Bar's authority to collect membership dues for the California Lawyers Association (CLA), a voluntary professional organization, through the end of 2029. Additionally, the bill strengthens oversight of unaccredited law schools by restricting the use of the term "law school" to approved or registered institutions, grants the State Bar's chief trial counsel the power to subpoena attorneys under investigation, expands reporting rules for client trust accounts and Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTAs, which are specialized accounts that generate interest for legal aid), and makes the conviction of any felony—regardless of whether it involves "moral turpitude" (baseless or dishonest behavior)—grounds for an attorney's suspension or disbarment. Furthermore, the legislation sets the active attorney license fee at up to $400 and the inactive fee at up to $100 for 2027, refines the administration of the Client Security Fund (which helps clients recover money lost due to dishonest attorney conduct), allows attorneys to transition to inactive status later in the year, updates how revenue from affinity programs and member discounts is distributed to legal support groups via entities like CalBar Connect and California ChangeLawyers, and makes other technical and conforming changes.