AB 3249 Summary

• Replaces terminology throughout State Bar law from "member/membership/dues" to "licensee/license/fees" and establishes that references to "member of the State Bar" mean "licensee of the State Bar."

• Extends the annual license fee for active licensees at $315 through 2019 (until January 1, 2020) and requires the State Bar to submit its adopted final budget and proposed budget for the following year to the Legislature by February 28.

• Modifies State Bar governance by changing officers from president/vice president/secretary/treasurer to chair/vice chair/secretary and requiring the chief financial officer (instead of treasurer) to certify financial statements.

• Creates the California Lawyers Association as an independent nonprofit corporation to manage the 16 State Bar Sections and California Young Lawyers Association, with mandatory fees prohibited and voluntary membership fees collected separately from State Bar license fees.

• Implements comprehensive disciplinary reforms including: establishing the State Bar Court as the primary disciplinary body, mandatory involuntary inactive enrollment for attorneys sentenced to 90+ days incarceration, requiring diversity and access plans, and requiring the State Bar to issue an Annual Discipline Report by April 30 each year with detailed statistics on complaints and discipline outcomes.