2012 Fee Statement
NOTE: 2012 Fee Statements were mailed Dec. 1, 2011. For more information, contact the Member Services Center, 1-888-800-3400.
Online Services
- My State Bar Profile
Take a moment to establish personal access to many State Bar services online. Your access code appears on your fee statement, to the right of your name and address, below the State Bar seal.
Go to Member Services and set up your My State Bar Profile. (If you've already set up a profile, your access code will not appear).
If you are a first-time user, you will need the access code that appears on your fee statement. Once done, you can report MCLE compliance online and even pay your fees online.
NOTE: California Rules of Court 9.7 now requires you to provide a private e-mail address for State Bar communications and to use My State Bar Profile when changing your contact information
Once you establish a profile, you can update your address, phone numbers and e-mail online. Calculate your MCLE requirements and comply online for free. You can even pay your bar dues online (no transaction fee).
Law firm managers: If you have collected your firm's fee statements, please provide lawyers with their access codes and encourage them to set up their own profiles.
Information about Donations
- Justice Gap Fund
Make a difference
Contribute to the new Justice Gap Fund. Increase access to justice. Help those with limited means get legal services. And in the face of a growing unmet need for such services, fulfill your professional responsibility to assist those who cannot afford legal help.
Contributions to the fund will be distributed to legal services programs that serve California’s poor and will go toward programs that:
- provide legal assistance to vulnerable clients, such as victims of domestic violence and elder abuse;
- help to keep families intact by avoiding homelessness and establishing guardianships, and;
- ensure that low-income children receive needed health care and special education services.
Contributions are tax-exempt to the fullest extent of the law and recipients are 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal services organizations.
calbar.org/justicegapfund
- Sections
Networking, special discounts
Join a State Bar Section now. Join 65,000 other California attorneys by enrolling or renewing your membership in any of the State Bar's 16 sections.
More than a third of State Bar members now take advantage of this opportunity to exchange ideas and information in special areas of the law, from antitrust to workers' comp, and in special-interest areas such as solo and small firm, and law practice management and technology.
See your 2011 fee statement for a complete list of the sections. If you already belong, those sections are clearly marked and you can easily continue your membership by entering the total payment.
If you are interested in joining new or additional sections, just mark them and tally the total. All of these sections are voluntary and are not supported by State Bar dues. Benefits of section membership include:
- Special discounts on CLE seminars.
- Your section membership displayed on your public member record online.
- Networking opportunities.
It also enables the sections to provide their services and benefits exclusively for their members.
calbar.ca.gov/sections
- Foundation of the State Bar of California
Scholarships, public service
Support the California Bar Foundation; your gift will make a difference. Help spread the word about legal rights and responsibilities.
Assist young people in developing an interest in the law and in going to law school on scholarships. And take advantage of your special benefits as a member of the State Bar. You can do all of this by making a contribution to the Foundation. A donation of $50 (or more) will:
- Provide scholarships for worthy law students committed to public interest careers.
- Print and distribute the popular consumer guides Kids & the Law, When You Become 18 and Seniors & the Law.
- Introduce high school students to the challenges and successes of the legal system.
- Support projects throughout the state to provide legal services and specialized assistance to Californians in need.
- Ensure that grants will continue to fund similar services in the future, especially for young citizens who take an interest in the law.
With your support, the Foundation will continue to expand its many law-related programs, which benefit a broad cross-section of children, students, adults and seniors throughout California
Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent provided by law. Join the Foundation family now. For more information, visit the Foundation's Web site.
fsbcal.org
- California Supreme Court Historical Society
Legal history, preservation
Help preserve and share California's rich judicial and legal history by joining the California Supreme Court Historical Society.
Support from members provides crucial funding for a variety of projects, from archiving the Justice Stanley Mosk collection at the California Judicial Center Library to collecting the oral histories of California Supreme Court Justices.
For a suggested tax-deductible contribution (to the extent provided by law) of $25 or more, members will receive the annual California Legal History Journal, various other society publications and the CSCHS Newsletter, which is published twice a year.
In addition, such contributors receive invitations to the society's events and programs, including receptions with current and former justices of the California Supreme Court.
Your contribution will help ensure that California’s legal history not only is preserved, but continues to be passed on to future generations.
cschs.org
- Conference of California Bar Associations
Independent debate, resolutions
Continue the long tradition of lawyer debate in the legislative process. Consider making a donation to the independent Conference of Delegates of California Bar Associations.
Each year, local and specialty bars from throughout the state sponsor more than 100 resolutions for debate on the conference floor.
In the past four years, more than 25 of these resolutions have become state law. Maintain this vital function: Mark your suggested contribution of $35 or more on the 2011 Annual Fee Statement.
The independent CDCBA is not part of The State Bar of California and receives no bar funding. Contributions are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions, but the portion not allocated for legislative lobbying expenses may be deducted as an ordinary and necessary business expense.
calconference.org or e-mail: ExecDir@calconference.org
Member Resources
CalBar Connect
Use CalBar Connect to access discounts and exclusive programs, including several group insurance programs designed to serve the needs of attorneys. Your purchases through CalBar Connect bolster member services and keep membership fees low.
Ethics Hotline
This confidential research service (for attorneys only) can help you identify and analyze your professional responsibilities.You can reach the hotline staff from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays by calling 1-800-238-4427 (or 415-538-2150 from outside California).
Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP)
Are you struggling with a substance abuse problem, mental health issue or career crisis? The LAP can help.
For more information, call the toll-free confidential hotline at 1-877-LAP4HELP (213-765-1190 outside California) or send an e-mail to: LAP@calbar.ca.gov.
Legal Specialization
The State Bar offers California lawyers the opportunity to become certified in 11 areas of law practice, from appellate law to family law to workers' compensation law.
Trust Accounting Handbook
To assist attorneys in complying with the rules for maintaining client trust accounts, the State Bar publishes the Handbook on Client Trust Accounting for California Attorneys. Download the text for free.
Continuing Legal Education, Deadlines (MCLE)
You can now submit your MCLE compliance declaration online. If your last name begins with any letter from H - M (Group 2), even if you are exempt, you must submit your declaration by Feb. 1, 2012.
Reporting compliance online is quick, easy and free (Go to Member Services/My State Bar Profile). If you miss the deadline, you will be subject to a $75 non-compliance fee.
Public Education
Order copies of the State Bar's consumer guides and pamphlets --- and distribute them to clients or a community group or a local high school class. Some are free of charge; others are available for a small fee that helps cover the costs of the bar's public education program. Many are available in foreign languages as well.
The State Bar's three consumer guides are:
The bar also produces a Get the Legal Facts of Life pamphlet series. Each pamphlet deals with a law-related issue, such as:
- Divorce and Custody
- Estate Planning
- Domestic Violence
- Auto Accidents
- Landlord/Tenant issues
- Debts
- Elder Abuse
- Employee Rights
- Small Claims Court
- Jury Duty
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Finding and Hiring a Lawyer
- Becoming a Lawyer
For a pamphlet order form, visit calbar.ca.gov (go to Consumer Pamphlets) or send an e-mail to pamphlets@calbar.ca.gov.
To order the guides, send an e-mail to seniors@calbar.ca.gov; 18@calbar.ca.gov; or kids@calbar.ca.gov. Online versions of the pamphlets and guides are also available on the State Bar's website.
If you do not have access to the Internet, call 1-888-875-LAWS (5297) for information.
You Need To Know
State Bar fees are due Feb. 1, 2012. Avoid paying a penalty. Pay your fees on time. Your payment must be paid online (see below) or postmarked by Feb. 1, 2012. If you miss the deadline, a penalty will attach on Feb. 2 ($100 for active lawyers, $30 for inactive lawyers). If you have questions, call the Member Services Center at 1-888-800-3400.
Pay your fees online at no extra cost. Simply go to Member Services on the State Bar’s website (calbar.ca.gov) and set up your individual My State Bar Profile. Returning users should log in using their personal password. If you are a first-time user, you will need the access code that appears on the front of your fee statement.
You are only eligible to pay at the inactive rate if you transfer to voluntary inactive status by Feb. 1, 2012. Applications for Transfer to Inactive Membership Status must be received and effective no later than Feb. 1 to be eligible for the inactive membership fee rate for that year. A change to inactive status after Feb. 1 is permissible, however the member must pay annual fees at the active rate and is not entitled to a refund because of the change to inactive status.
Report any change in your address. If you have a new address, log on to My State Bar Profile to update your contact information. Note: California Rule of Court 9.7 makes it a requirement to use My State Bar Profile as the means to report changes to your contact information, as well as to provide an maintain an email address for State Bar communications. If you have not already done so, please register today to ensure your compliance.
If your trust account information has changed in the past year, you may need to notify the State Bar. This requirement only applies to active members living in California. To update or change your trust account information, log on to My State Bar Profile.
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