A new impact brief from the State Bar of California’s Office of Access & Inclusion warns that budget cuts could undermine California’s legal aid infrastructure, threatening access to justice for millions of low- and middle-income residents.
At its November 20–21 meeting, the Board of Trustees approved raising Admissions Fund fees based on the recommended staff option, except for general applicants for the California Bar Exam and applicants for the Practical Training of Law Students program. Those fees will only be increased by the Consumer Price Index (3.3 percent). The Board’s action—to be implemented in 2026—will begin to address a critical structural deficit and rebuild depleted reserves that have been strained by unanticipated costs resulting from the February 2025 exam, including several million dollars in fee waivers issued as part of remedial measures and the return to in-person administration.
Can the same instructional time be applied to a legal specialty area and to one of the subfields?
Yes, the same instruction time can be allocated to a legal specialty area and to one of the subfields.
How are speaker credit hours calculated?
Regardless of the time increment, the speaker should be awarded their actual speaking time multiplied by four. For example, a speaker who speaks for 15 minutes would receive 1 hour of speaking credit (i.e., 0.25 hours x 4 = 1.00 hour speaking credit). Additionally, the speaker credit should be rounded to the nearest quarter-hour if necessary. For example, a speaker who speaks for 10 minutes should receive 45 minutes of speaking credit (i.e., 10 minutes x 4 rounded up to the nearest quarter-hour = 45 minutes or 0.75 hours).
Please note: Speaker credit should only be granted for the first presentation of a program. Speakers who repeat the same presentation should only receive attendance credit for that presentation.
What is an e-learning portal?
An e-learning portal is a personalized website for accessing e-learning courses and other educational content.