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Lawmakers have approved a bill that would significantly increase the annual fees California lawyers must pay to fund the State Bar, and Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the bill into law in the near future.
The legislation would raise bar fees in 2020 from a combined $430 to $544, a 27 percent increase, and would be the first bump in that figure in roughly 20 years. Attorneys can still deduct up to $47 from the total if they opt out of paying for certain items.
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A sizable fee increase was sought by bar leaders because they argued they needed one to keep up with growing expenses, strengthen their attorney discipline system, and undertake technology upgrades, among other needs.
State Bar Executive Director Leah T. Wilson mentioned the fee bill’s legislative success in a recent written report to the agency’s board, while sharing that this week’s board meetings “come at a time of palpable promise for the State Bar.”
“First, the significance of our being on the precipice of a licensing fee increase for the first time in 21 years cannot be understated,” Wilson wrote. “Although we continue to await the governor’s signature on the fee bill, it is nonetheless appropriate to step back and recognize our collective accomplishment in getting this far.”
“I believe that our success lies in the historic transformation of this organization that was inspired by the separation of the State Bar Sections and accelerated by a Board of Trustees with a laser focus on our mission,” Wilson continued. “I, and the entire staff team, thank you for your leadership.”
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The Legislature ordered the separation of the bar’s regulatory and trade association-like functions in the agency’s funding bill for 2018. Lawmakers did so with the hope that the agency would focus more closely on its mission of protecting the public from unscrupulous lawyers.
The final version of the bar’s 2020 funding bill was approved last week by a 50-9 vote in the California Assembly and a 31-6 vote in the state Senate. Given the limited opposition, it would be a major surprise if Gov. Newsom did not sign the legislation into law.
Both the California state auditor and the Legislative Analyst’s Office agreed that an increase in the bar fee was justified, but at an amount far less than the $860 the bar initially proposed.
Lawmakers settled on a figure more in line with those two bodies’ recommendations and included language in the bill urging the bar to use the funding it receives in a manner consistent with the reports issued by the auditor and Legislative Analyst’s Office.
The bill, SB 176, also included intent language indicating the Legislature plans to make the State Bar part of the annual budget process beginning with the 2021-2022 fiscal year. Doing so would provide greater legislative oversight of the bar’s spending, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
Lyle Moran is a freelance writer in San Diego who handles both journalism and content writing projects. He previously reported for the Los Angeles Daily Journal, San Diego Daily Transcript, Associated Press, and Lowell Sun. He can be reached at [email protected] and found on Twitter @lylemoran.