The law and State Bar rules and regulations set out specific guidelines for distribution of IOLTA. First, 85 percent of funds available for distribution is allocated to counties based upon their share of the state's more than 6 million indigent persons.

Within the counties, 10 percent of the money is reserved for projects that use pro bono attorneys (attorneys who volunteer their services without pay) as their principal means of delivering legal services.

Money not distributed to pro bono projects is divided among all other "qualified legal services projects" in that county, according to a statutory formula that is tied to each program's previous year expenditures. In order to be a "qualified legal services project," an organization applying for money must be a nonprofit corporation and must, as its primary purpose, provide civil legal services without charge to persons who are indigent.

Qualified legal services projects provide legal aid in a range of substantive areas: housing, healthcare, education, public benefits, consumer law, disability rights, and more.

The remaining 15 percent of available funds (the portion that is not divided among the counties) is distributed to "qualified support centers," meaning organizations that, without charge and as their primary purpose, provide training, technical and advocacy assistance on cases and other support to attorneys and paralegals employed by qualified legal services projects, as well as private attorneys who have accepted pro bono referrals from a legal services project.

These funds are distributed equally to eligible support centers that serve programs around the state. As of 2017, 22 support centers share these funds.

You can download and print a paper bar card or order a plastic card after you log in to My State Bar Profile and pay your fees.

Go to Complete Unfinished Test and enter the Tester ID you received for the test. Then click Next. You will be taken to the MCLE article and 20 questions. 

Special Masters are needed in all counties in California. The State Bar attempts to maintain a large list of qualified Special Masters to avoid overburdening individual Special Masters.

Ethics School provides an overview of the California Rules of Professional Conduct and relevant provisions of the State Bar Act. It is designed to help attorneys identify and avoid common ethical pitfalls in practice. The course is self-paced and available on the State Bar’s E-learning Portal 24/7. It replaces the live monthly sessions previously offered.

Participation in self-help recovery groups is an essential element of recovery for many people. LAP groups are an important adjunct to the recovery process, rather than a substitute for participation in self-help programs.

LAP groups are supportive process groups that are facilitated by licensed mental health professionals. LAP groups differ from self-help groups by providing an individualized focus to the recovery process and more personalized support from the group, under the guidance of the group facilitator. Only law students, State Bar applicants, and attorneys are in the LAP groups. It is not open to the general public.

Unless the parties have reached a settlement agreement, a decision will not be made at the hearing. After the hearing, you will receive by mail the arbitrator’s “Findings and Award,” as well as a written “Notice of Your Rights After Arbitration,” which explains your options after the award. The findings may provide you a refund of fees or costs, an amount of outstanding fees you owe, or a determination that no money is owed to either party. The arbitrator may also allocate the program filing fee, regardless of which party initially paid it.

Pursuant to Government Code section 12011.5(b), the commission consists of attorney and public (i.e., nonattorney) members. The commission is to consist of at least twenty-seven and no more than thirty-eight members. The ratio of nonattorney members to attorney members is determined, to the extent practical, by the ratio established in sections 6013.4 and 6013.5 of the Business and Professions Code.

It is the stated intent of the Legislature that the JNE membership "shall be broadly representative of the ethnic, gender, and racial diversity of the population of California and composed in accordance with sections 11140 and 11141 of the Government Code."

Practice areas of the members are representative of the various types of practice in California, and include the public sector as well as private practice, large and small firms and sole practitioners. The actual composition of the commission has tended to reflect the diversity of the legal profession in California.

Individuals interested in serving on the commission apply to the Board of Trustees, and are appointed by the Board following the guidelines set forth in Government Code section 12011.5(b), and upon recommendation of the Board Executive Committee.

Exempt

Attorney employees of California Superior Courts

Attorneys employed by the State of California who pass judgment or opinion on the law as part of their job duties.

Law Clerks provided they are employed on a permanent or probationary basis

Attorneys employed by the military services (acting within the scope of their employment)

Nonexempt:

Attorneys employed by the University of California

Attorneys employed by the State Bar of California

District attorneys and public defenders

Annuitants, contractors, and consultants

Attorneys performing work on behalf of the State or Federal Government as part of their employment by a nongovernment entity.

You may practice as registered in-house counsel as long as you remain eligible and your registration remains current.