The California State Senate today confirmed the appointment of Laura Enderton-Speed as the Executive Director of the State Bar. The State Bar Board of Trustees announced Enderton-Speed’s appointment in September 2025, and she began her role as the Executive Director on November 3, 2025.
Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona and Enderton-Speed were both recommended for confirmation by the Senate Rules Committee on April 29, 2026. Cardona’s confirmation vote on the Senate floor is expected in the coming weeks.
“I want to thank the Senate for confirming me as Executive Director of the State Bar of California,” Enderton-Speed said. “I sought out this position looking for a way to contribute and find solutions to some of the toughest issues facing the State Bar, while supporting the policy and staff efforts that are succeeding, all in furtherance of the State Bar’s mission of protecting the public. For more than two decades, I have prioritized good and ethical governance, and the importance of public trust and confidence, and I will continue to do so as Executive Director of the State Bar of California.”
Enderton-Speed previously worked at the Judicial Council of California. Beginning in 2013, she served as the supervising attorney of governmental affairs; in July 2018, she was appointed director of the Leadership Support Services Office. She previously served as the governmental relations and legislative officer for the County of Sacramento, the division chief in the Office of Stakeholder Relations at the California Public Employees Retirement System, the deputy chief of external affairs at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and a policy consultant at the California State Senate. In addition, she is a former adjunct professor at the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law and California State University, Sacramento. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from San Jose State University and her juris doctorate from McGeorge School of Law.
Enderton-Speed’s term as Executive Director is four years.
The State Bar of California’s mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.
