News

The State Bar of California convened the 2025 Veterans’ Legal Services Roundtable at its San Francisco office on September 26, bringing together more than 20 legal service providers, government agencies, and community advocate organizations dedicated to serving California’s veterans. Hosted by the State Bar’s Office of Access & Inclusion, the roundtable explored new and ongoing legal challenges facing veterans amid rapidly evolving federal policies and complex support systems.

The State Bar of California launched its mandatory Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) compliance review today. Beginning September 29 through October 31, 2025, the State Bar will randomly select and notify 100 attorneys representing a cross-section of the attorney population to complete a CTAPP compliance review for reporting year 2024.

The State Bar of California Board of Trustees marked a historic leadership transition at its September 19 meeting, as Board Chair José Cisneros, Vice-Chair Mark Toney, PhD, and new Trustee David Jargiello were sworn into office by the California Supreme Court Associate Justice Martin J. Jenkins. All three were appointed to their new roles by the California Supreme Court.

On the first day of its two-day meeting, the Board of Trustees announced its appointment of Laura Enderton-Speed as the State Bar’s next Executive Director. Enderton-Speed is currently the director of the Leadership Support Services Office at the Judicial Council of California. 

The California Supreme Court ordered Thursday that Los Angeles attorney Aaron Spolin (SBN 310379) be disbarred and his name stricken from the roll of attorneys, the Office of Chief Trial Counsel (OCTC) announced.

The California Supreme Court announced seven appointments and one reappointment to the State Bar of California’s Board of Trustees and the Committee of Bar Examiners, effective September 19.

The Board of Trustees (Board) and the Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) held a rare joint meeting Thursday to consider and make recommendations to the proposed amendments from the California Supreme Court relating to Admissions and California bar exam oversight following a 45-day public comment period. The Board and CBE also discussed Admissions and Provisional Licensure Program (PLP) fees, and planning for future bar exams. 

The State Bar's 2024 Diversity Report Card finds that while California's legal profession continues to become more representative of the state's population―with women and people of color both representing 57 percent of newly admitted attorneys, an all-time high for representation of both groups―the attorney workforce still does not reflect the state's rich diversity.

The State Bar of California is seeking to inform former State Bar licensees that through December, they can settle their State Bar debt by paying half of the balance they owe through the Fresh Start Settlement Program. The one-year program is an offer and compromise opportunity for current and former State Bar attorneys. To participate, applicants must request a settlement through an online platform, and any approved settlement must be paid in full by December 31, 2025. 

The State Bar of California announced today a new round of applications for its DEI Leadership Seal program, which recognizes legal employers that commit to and implement research-driven actions that further workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

The State Bar published its 2024 digital annual report today, which focuses on its accomplishments and challenges in a year when the agency received its second attorney licensee fee increase in 25 years, allowing the State Bar to strengthen its regulatory capacity and fund critical initiatives.  

At its July 3 meeting, the Board of Trustees discussed proposed amendments from the California Supreme Court to the Rules of Court that would update the authority and responsibilities of the Board and Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) over key aspects of admissions and the California Bar Exam.  

The State Bar of California recently published new findings showing measurable progress in reducing racial disparities in the attorney discipline system, building on key recommendations from a 2019 study: “Discrepancies by Race and Gender in Attorney Discipline by the State Bar of California: An Empirical Analysis.”

The State Bar Court’s Review Department today affirmed a March 2024 decision recommending disbarment of attorney John Eastman for his misconduct related to the 2020 presidential election.

The State Bar of California’s Public Trust Liaison (El Intermediario de Confianza Pública) Enrique Zuniga announced the official launch of the Attorney-Client Bridge Program (ACBP), a program that has already proved popular with consumers and attorneys. 

At its June 5, 2025, meeting, the Board of Trustees approved funding to enter into a contract with the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) to conduct an independent, privileged review of scoring for applicants who failed the February 2025 Bar Exam. The review will also assess whether test takers who did not pass but had been granted testing accommodations (TA) received those accommodations.

The State Bar of California today released findings from its 2024 Justice Gap Study, revealing that the civil legal needs of Californians remain widespread and unmet at alarming rates—conditions that have worsened since the first California Justice Gap Study, completed in 2019.

At its May 22–23 meeting, the State Bar of California Board of Trustees discussed guiding principles for future decisions around the content and administration of the bar exam, ultimately approving a resolution affirming those principles and asking the Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) to do the same.

The Board approved a statement on Recent Executive Actions Threatening the Availability of Legal Counsel and the Rule of Law.

At its May 9 meeting, the State Bar Board of Trustees recommended expanding the Provisional Licensure Program (PLP) to applicants who withdrew or were unsuccessful in the February 2025 Bar Exam. Other approved remedies include a proposed path to licensure for attorneys barred in other states, expedited special admissions, and a fee waiver extension. The Board also asked the Committee of Bar Examiners to consider additional adjustments based on applicant feedback. Exam results showed increased pass rates across all groups. The Board also took action on leadership succession and issued a statement defending the right to legal counsel in response to recent federal actions.