Today Associate Justice Joshua P. Groban of the California Supreme Court swore in Sean SeLegue as Chair of the State Bar Board Board of Trustees and Ruben Duran as Vice-Chair at the Board’s first meeting of the 2020-2021 Board year. Also sworn in was attorney Christine Gonong, appointed by the Court to a four-year term as a new Trustee, and attorney Hailyn Chen, reappointed by the Court for a second four-year term. New Trustee Arnie Sowell Jr., executive director of NextGen Policy, who was appointed by the Senate Rules Committee, was also sworn in by Justice Groban.
A State Bar Board of Trustees Zoom meeting on Friday, September 4, 2020, was disrupted when an individual flooded the chat function with a barrage of offensive, inappropriate text.
At its May 14 meeting, the State Bar Board of Trustees approved establishment of a joint Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of the California Bar Exam, in partnership with the California Supreme Court.
At its April 16 virtual meeting, the State Bar Board of Trustees approved several emergency rule changes to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 emergency on licensees, program participants, members of the public, and State Bar staff. The Board also approved the Memoranda of Understanding with the State Bar’s represented staff for 2020–2022.
On April 15, the State Bar Board of Trustees wrote to the California Supreme Court offering options and recommendations for the June First-Year Law Students’ Exam and the July Bar Exam in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
At its January meeting that concluded Friday, the State Bar Board of Trustees set direction on strategic priorities intended to expand access to justice and ensure that the attorney discipline system is fair and effective.
