June 11, 2019 – According to the ABA Division of Bar Services, for the first time in roughly two decades, the State Bar of California may be poised for an increase in its basic bar fee.
At the end of May, the California Senate approved legislation to require practicing lawyers to pay $535 in bar fees, up from $383, an increase of nearly 40 percent. This includes the basic bar fee and other fees, including a twofold increase in the amount lawyers must pay toward the Client Security Fund.
This increase largely mirrors recommendations from the state auditor; the bill will now head to the state Assembly and then, if approved there, to the governor for signature.
The bar initially proposed a much larger increase, but the state auditor recommended shelving some of the planned spending and spreading some out over multiple years.
Learn more about the fee bill, and the bar’s response, at https://abovethelaw.com/2019/05/california-lawyers-could-see-annual-bar-fees-hiked-by-40-percent/?rf=1