Board Panel Hears Pros and Cons of Dividing State Bar Roles

• Jurisdiction: California,United States
• Citation: Vol. 05 No. 2016 Pg. 02
• Publication year: 2016
• Pages: 02
• Year: 2016
• topic: Business of Law

Board panel hears pros and cons of dividing State Bar roles No. 2016 #02 California Bar Journal May, 2016

Laura Ernde Staff Writer.

Discussions about the future of the State Bar ramped up last month, with a bar task force receiving input from dozens of witnesses, including a proposal to separate the bar into two organizations – one to handle regulatory matters and one to house “trade association” functions.

Meanwhile, members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee indicated they want to see significant reforms of the agency this year as part of their oversight of the State Bar.

However, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye cautioned against any hurried decisions for the organization, which is an arm of the California Supreme Court.

“A move to de-unify the State Bar, without the benefit of a deliberative process and without input from the California Supreme Court, would be an extraordinary move for the largest state bar in the world,” Cantil-Sakauye said. “Given the critical work the State Bar does in the area of access, fairness, and diversity, it would not be fair or just to the people of the state if the State Bar’s governance issues were unreasonably rushed.”

At two public hearings April 4 and 25, the Board of Trustees’ Governance in the Public Interest Task Force heard a variety of opinions on deunification, the bar’s governance structure and the implications of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. The group is tasked with making recommendations that will help the bar meet its primary mission of public protection. Additional meetings are planned for May 26 in San Francisco and June 14 in Los Angeles.

The...