News Category

A State Bar working group studying innovations that could increase access to justice for all Californians holds its first public meeting Thursday, January 14, 2021.

At its July 16 meeting, the State Bar Board of Trustees approved an action plan designed to improve equity in the attorney discipline system, following up on the agency’s first-ever study on racial disparities in the disciplinary system. The first group of reforms aim to expand representation by counsel when an attorney faces a disciplinary investigation.

As interest rates drop to historically low rates amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Bar of California continues to work with banks to maintain and maximize the interest income that supports free legal services for vulnerable Californians through the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program. This week, the State Bar announced that eight more financial institutions have agreed to become Leadership Banks, using their financial wherewithal to support access to justice for low-income Californians. 

At its March 12 meeting, the State Bar Board of Trustees engaged in a robust discussion on the final report of the Task Force on Access Through Innovation of Legal Services (ATILS). The Board approved several of the Task Force’s recommendations, including a recommendation to circulate for public comment changes to two Rules of Professional Conduct. The Board deferred until May action on proposals related to the establishment of a working group to explore a regulatory sandbox. The Board also approved other measures furthering the State Bar’s access goal.

This week, the State Bar of California announced the initial class of Leadership Banks.To join the ranks of Leadership Banks, a bank must agree to pay comparable interest rates on its attorney client trust accounts under California's Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, thereby helping to support access to justice for low-income Californians.