May 21, 2019 – The State Bar Board of Trustees has authorized restructured fee-scaling options to expand reduced or waived licensing fee increases among attorneys whose incomes fall below certain thresholds. The new model will be proposed during the legislative process for setting the State Bar’s licensing fee for 2020.
The Board delegated authority to staff under the leadership of Board Chair Jason Lee and Vice Chair Alan Steinbrecher to negotiate details of a fee-scaling proposal, within the following general framework:
- Scaling thresholds would be based on attorneys’ individual income of approximately $90,000 per year and household income of approximately $200,000 per year.
- Attorneys below the eligibility threshold would be protected from a fee increase, while those at higher incomes would subsidize that protection.
- Attorneys who work for non-profit organizations that provide legal services may also be considered under an expanded fee waiver proposal.