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.
During closed session on August 4, 2026, the State Bar Board of Trustees approved the submission of a letter to the California Supreme Court that provides an update on the privileged independent internal investigation into the issues relating to the February 2025 California Bar Exam, which the Bo
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.
