News

The State Bar of California announced the seizure of the unauthorized law practice of Gabriel Luna de la Fuente of Chula Vista, after he took more than $4,000 from a client for immigration services for herself and her daughter—selecting and preparing her legal forms himself, directing her to deposit money directly into his bank account, and never disclosing that he was not and never has been a licensed attorney or supervised by one.

The State Bar of California announced today the seizure of the unauthorized law practice of John Minnella of Tustin, following an investigation sparked by a Mexican immigrant who paid Minnella thousands of dollars for immigration legal services that were never delivered.

The State Bar’s Office of Chief Trial Counsel announced today that it recently seized the illegal business operated by nonattorney John Pamintuan Alamarez Jr. of Artesia after evidence showed that he used his standing in the Filipino community to engage in long-standing unauthorized practice of law (UPL) as an employee of a licensed attorney.

At its July 16, 2026, meeting, the Board of Trustees heard a presentation from Admissions Chief Donna Hershkowitz highlighting the California Supreme Court’s order approving the State Bar’s recommendation to move to the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ NextGen Uniform Bar Examination (NextGen UBE) beginning in July 2028 and to prepare the addition of a California component for July 2029.

The State Bar announced today that, beginning with the July 2028 California Bar Exam, the State Bar will administer the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam (NextGen UBE), produced by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE).

The State Bar of California entered into a settlement agreement with ProctorU, Inc., dba Meazure Learning (Meazure Learning), resolving its lawsuit against the vendor it contracted with to administer the remote and in-person administration of the February 2025 California Bar Exam, the State Bar Office of General Counsel announced today.

“Since the February 2025 bar exam, the State Bar has undertaken significant work to strengthen the administration of the California bar examination and improve our practices and processes including contracting, exam development and validation, and internal and external communication,” said José Cisneros, State Bar Board Chair.

The State Bar’s Office of Access & Inclusion hosted its ninth annual Diversity Summit, bringing together more than 75 legal professionals—including legal aid organizations, government agencies, law schools, and private sector attorneys and employers.

The State Bar of California announced today that three existing DEI Leadership Seal organizations achieved higher Leadership Seals, and two new organizations have committed to earn a Seal.

The State Bar’s Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) team has begun notifying 400 California attorneys, randomly selected from a cross-section of the attorney population, that they will undergo a mandatory compliance review of their 2025 trust account recordkeeping.

The California Senate confirmed Tuesday the reappointment of George Cardona as the Chief Trial Counsel for the State Bar of California. This is Cardona’s second Senate confirmation. In June 2022, Cardona became the first Senate confirmation of a Chief Trial Counsel in 10 years.

At its May 14–15, 2026, meeting, the Board of Trustees concurred with and approved the Committee of Bar Examiners’ (CBE) recommendation that the California Supreme Court adopt the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ (NCBE) NextGen Uniform Bar Exam (NextGen UBE) for administration beginning in July 2028.

The California State Senate today confirmed the appointment of Laura Enderton-Speed as the Executive Director of the State Bar. The State Bar Board of Trustees announced Enderton-Speed’s appointment in September 2025, and she began her role as the Executive Director on November 3, 2025.

The State Bar of California reported Friday that 30.8 percent of exam takers passed the February 2026 General Bar Examination (GBX). In addition, the State Bar also announced that 57.0 percent of those who completed the one-day Attorneys’ Examination passed.

The State Bar published its 2025 Digital Annual Report today, outlining a year defined by operational resilience, major system challenges and improvements, and investments in public protection and access to justice.

The State Bar of California seized the illegal business of Irene Carlota Raygoza of Livermore after a couple filed a complaint that her mishandling of their immigration case left one of their sons at risk of having to leave the United States for up to 22 years, the Office of Chief Trial Counsel announced today.

The Committee of Bar Examiners approved a bar exam options risk-benefit analysis and recommended that the California Supreme Court adopt the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ NextGen Uniform Bar Exam for administration beginning in July 2028.

The California Supreme Court disbarred attorney John Charles Eastman today. This after the State Bar Court Review Department in July 2025 affirmed the findings of the State Bar Court Hearing Department’s March 2024 recommendation, which found Eastman culpable of 10 out of 11 charges for egregious and deceitful conduct and recommended his disbarment.

The State Bar filed an amicus brief Friday, April 3, in support of four law firms targeted by the Trump Administration’s executive orders for the firms’ representation of clients unpopular with the administration. And on Monday, April 6, the State Bar’s Executive Director Laura Enderton-Speed and Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on a proposed DOJ rule change that would impact California’s ability to effectively protect the public in conducting discipline investigations of DOJ attorneys.