The State Bar has launched an innovative digital annual report spotlighting the agency’s accomplishments and progress in 2019, a pivotal year that featured measurable progress in meeting its expansive mission of public protection.
“Californians need and deserve access to a legal system that serves them with integrity and fairness. In the wake of the many challenges 2020 has brought to Californians, the State Bar’s mission of public protection, access, and diversity is more critically important than ever,” said Donna S. Hershkowitz, Interim Executive Director. “Though launch of this annual report was delayed by the impact of the pandemic on the work of our agency, we are publishing it now to re-establish a tradition of public annual reports, supporting our strategic goals of accountability and proactive communication.”
The report outlines progress in the second year since the State Bar transitioned to a purely regulatory agency focused on public protection. Among the fast facts it contains that highlight the size and scope of the nation’s largest State Bar are these:
Total number of attorneys licensed: 256,000
New attorneys admitted: 5,145
Legal aid funds distributed: $62 million
Victims reimbursed through the Client Security Fund: 718
Complaints about attorney misconduct received: 20,337
Bar exam applicants tested: 13,400
Attorneys for whom the State Bar Court recommended or imposed formal discipline: 532
Nonattorney practice cases referred to law enforcement: 335
Customer service calls handled: 162,000
Sections of the digital report relating to attorney regulation and discipline, access, diversity and inclusion, and admissions highlight numerous accomplishments, metrics, and initiatives undertaken or completed in 2019.
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.
