New Immissions/Updates:
boundless - educate - edutalab - empatico - es-ebooks - es16 - fr16 - fsfiles - hesperian - solidaria - wikipediaforschools
- wikipediaforschoolses - wikipediaforschoolsfr - wikipediaforschoolspt - worldmap -

See also: Liber Liber - Libro Parlato - Liber Musica  - Manuzio -  Liber Liber ISO Files - Alphabetical Order - Multivolume ZIP Complete Archive - PDF Files - OGG Music Files -

PROJECT GUTENBERG HTML: Volume I - Volume II - Volume III - Volume IV - Volume V - Volume VI - Volume VII - Volume VIII - Volume IX

Ascolta ""Volevo solo fare un audiolibro"" su Spreaker.
CLASSICISTRANIERI HOME PAGE - YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms and Conditions
State Bar of California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

State Bar of California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The State Bar's main office in San Francisco is housed on several floors of this office building
The State Bar's main office in San Francisco is housed on several floors of this office building

The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline. It is directly responsible to the Supreme Court of California. It was formally launched on July 1, 1927, and by the end of 1928 had over 9,500 members.

Today, the State Bar is the largest such organization in the United States, with 248,000-plus members as of March 2007, of whom 154,653 are on active status. Just like the Supreme Court of California, it is headquartered in San Francisco, with branch offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento.

Contents

[edit] Legal status

California is among the majority of American states that operate an integrated bar, in which the bar association is integrated with the judiciary. Article 6, Section 9 of the California Constitution is as follows:

The State Bar of California is a public corporation. Every person admitted and licensed to practice law in this State is and shall be a member of the State Bar except while holding office as a judge of a court of record.

The State Bar's structure, responsibilities and powers are further elaborated upon in the State Bar Act at Sections 6000-6238 of the Business and Professions Code. Anyone who practices law in the state of California must be a member of the State Bar, or else he or she will be guilty of the crime of unauthorized practice of law. The only exception is for patent attorneys who restrict their practice to patent law; a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1963 prohibited states from restricting the practice of patent law.[1] The United States Patent and Trademark Office is responsible for certifying patent attorneys, who must be admitted to a state or territorial bar and pass that agency's registration examination.

Oddly, the State Bar of California is one of a small number of integrated bar associations where much of its fee structure must be ratified annually by both the legislature and the governor. Without such special authorization, it can charge California lawyers only $77 per year.

In October 1997, then-Governor Pete Wilson vetoed the fee authorization bill for that year. He pointed out that California's bar had the highest annual fee in the country, at $478. He also claimed that the State Bar had become bloated and inefficient, and he criticized its Conference of Delegates for taking positions on divisive political issues like abortion.[2] The State Bar's political and lobbying activities, combined with the compulsory nature of its dues, had already resulted in a U.S. Supreme Court case in which the State Bar was forced to allow attorneys to opt out of paying dues to support positions which they found abhorrent. Keller v. State Bar of California, 496 U.S. 1 (1990).

As a result, the State Bar was forced to lay off 500 of its 700 personnel on June 26, 1998.[3] For six months, the State Bar's attorney disciplinary system was nonfunctional. On December 3, 1998, the Supreme Court of California unanimously held that it had the power to impose an emergency annual fee of $171.44 on all California lawyers to fund the attorney disciplinary system. See In re Attorney Disciplinary System, 19 Cal. 4th 582 (1998). By then, the backlog of unprocessed complaints had soared to 6,000.

On September 7, 1999, Governor Gray Davis signed a bill which set the annual fee for the State Bar at $395, thus ending the funding crisis. Since then, the State Bar has undertaken several reforms to improve the efficiency of its operations. It also split off the controversial Conference of Delegates into a separate volunteer organization.

[edit] Lawyer admissions

The task of deciding whom to admit to the bar is performed by the Committee of Bar Examiners and the Office of Admissions under procedures set out in the State Bar Act.

[edit] The different ways to become an attorney in California

California provides three basic paths to becoming a licensed attorney: [4]

  1. Attending a law school accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners or approved by American Bar Association and passing the California bar examination.
  2. Study law for at least four years by:
    • Attend a law school approved by the State of California to award professional degrees but is unapproved by the State Bar of California (including online law schools) and pass the bar exam, or
    • Participating in an approved course of study in a law office or the chambers of a judge and pass the bar exam. ("Law Office Study Program"; See below.)
  3. Already being licensed in another state or foreign jurisdiction and taking the California bar exam. Lawyers who are already licensed in another jurisdiction may be able to waive out of taking the Multistate Bar Examination portion of the exam. Regardless of the path one takes to becoming a licensed attorney, most bar applicants take a special preparation course for the exam immediately following their graduation from law school.

There is no citizenship requirement for admission to the California bar; a person can be a citizen of any country and be admitted to practice in California. No particular type of visa, including a green card, is required for admission to the bar. However, applicants must have a Social Security Number to apply.

Prospective applicants must also pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination and undergo an extensive background check to determine if the applicant has the "good moral character" necessary to practice law in California. Obviously, a prospective applicant must receive a "positive determination" as to the inquiry on their "moral character" in addition to satisfying all other educational requirements and exam passages to be granted a license to practice law in California.

[edit] "Baby Bar"

Prior to law schools in the U.S., the only way to become an attorney was to "read" for the law. Usually this was done by reading Blackstone's Commentaries on the English Law as a textbook, and by interning for a judge or a lawyer for a prescribed period. The Bar candidate would then be questioned by a panel of court justices and accepted or rejected as an officer of the court. If accepted, the candidate was sworn into the Bar.

Today, most states have revoked this "traditional" method instead opting for attorneys to attend law school. However, a few states still allow the traditional method of reading for the law. California is one such state. In fact, there are many ways to become an attorney in California. Those students choosing to become a licensed attorney through law schools and programs unaccredited by the ABA or State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners (such as an online law school), or if the student does not first possess a four year college degree prior to being accepted into an accredited program or law school, must complete the First-Year Law Students' Examination, popularly known as the "Baby Bar Examination," before receiving credit for their law study.

Students should pass it within three administrations after first becoming eligible to take the examination, which is upon completion of the first year of law study, in order to receive credit for law study undertaken up to the point of passage. However, you may pass the test after the first three administrations, but you will only receive credit for your first year of law studies, nothing more. Some people may think that any additional courses beyond the first year will be credited if the take more law school classes and pass the Baby Bar thereafter; this is false.

California State Bar Law Office Study Program

The California State Bar Law Office Study Program allows California residents to become California attorneys without graduating from college or law school, assuming they meet basic educational requirements. If the candidate has no college degree, he or she may take and pass the CLEP, or College Level Examination Program. The Bar candidate must study under a judge or lawyer for four years and must also pass the Baby Bar within three administrations after first becoming eligible to take the examination.[5]

[edit] The famously difficult California bar exam

California administers what is widely considered the nation's most difficult bar examination twice each year, in February and July.[6] Several prominent attorneys and politicians have had difficulty passing it, including Antonio Villaraigosa, Kathleen Sullivan, Jerry Brown and Pete Wilson.[7]

The California Bar Examination consists of 18 hours of examination time spread out over 3 days. The only other state with a longer exam is Louisiana, and that state's exam is arguably less arduous because unlike all other bar exams in the United States (which are given on consecutive days), it is administered on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Typically, the California Bar Examination is administered in the following manner:

  • 1st Day (Tuesday): 3 essay questions (9 am - 12 pm); 1 performance test (2 pm - 5 pm)
  • 2nd Day (Wednesday): 100 MBE questions (9 am - 12 pm); 100 MBE questions (2 pm - 5 pm)
  • 3rd Day (Thurdsay): 3 essay questions (9 am - 12 pm); 1 performance test (2 pm - 5 pm)

The exam currently tests 13 (starting July 2007, it will increase to 15) different subject areas:

The essay section of the exam accounts for 39% of the total score. Applicants sitting for the California Bar Examination do not know which of the 13 subjects listed above will in fact be tested on the essay portion of the examination. In recent years, it has been increasingly common for one or more "crossover" questions to appear on the examination. A "crossover" question is one that tests applicants in two or perhaps three subjects in one essay question.

While predictions circulate regarding which of the subjects will be tested on the essay portion of the examination, only one subject has consistently made its appearance on the essay portion of the examination during its past 15 administrations: Professional Responsibility.

California-specific legal knowledge is required only for Wills, Community Property, and Professional Responsibility; for the other topics, either general common law ("bar exam law") or the federal laws apply. Beginning in July 2007, applicants will be tested on the California laws of Evidence and Civil Procedure in the essay portion of the exam in addition to federal law.

The Multistate Bar Examination portion of the exam is a 200 question multiple choice exam, and counts for 35% of the total score in California. The MBE covers only the topics of contracts, property, torts, constitutional law, criminal law & procedure, and evidence. While the essay section of the exam may test one or more of these areas as well, the MBE section is limited to the aforementioned subjects.

The performance test portion of the exam is designed to test practical lawyering skills by presenting applicants with simulations of actual legal tasks. This section counts for 26% of the total score. The performance exam is a "closed universe" setting, meaning that the only substantive information the applicant needs to know is what is provided with the exam. Even if cases and statutes are provided, they are often dramatically different from the real law in the area at issue, so that applicants who studied that area of law in law school will have no special advantage.

The exam sites are usually large convention centers in Northern and Southern California. Exam security is extremely tight. For example, proctors are assigned to stand in restrooms for the duration of the entire exam to prevent applicants from asking each other for assistance.[8] Additionally, applicants are required to provide fingerprints, photo ID, and a handwriting sample at the admininstration site.

Overall bar exam pass rates tend to hover between 40 and 50%, and are usually among the lowest in the United States. First-time takers, however, have a pass rate around 60%.

One reason for the low pass rates is that California allows graduates of law schools that have not been accredited by the American Bar Association to take its bar exam. In contrast, graduates of ABA schools have a first-time pass rate of approximately 69%, while graduates of non-ABA schools pass at a rate of about 25% on the first try (in 2005, first-time takers who attended non-ABA schools passed at 25.9% rate). [9] Another reason for the low passage rate is that repeat takers may take the exam as many times as necessary to pass: approximately 15% of repeaters pass the exam on each administration. [10][11]

The MBE has always been administered through the standard method of having applicants fill in bubbles on a paper form with a No. 2 pencil. As for the essay and performance exam portions, applicants traditionally wrote them using pen and paper or typed them on a typewriter. Since 2000, applicants have had the option of using special software known as SofTest to type those portions on their laptop computers.

[edit] Professional responsibility

California is the only state that does not use either set of professional responsibility rules developed by the American Bar Association.[citation needed] California professional responsibility law is divided between California Business and Professions Code Section 6068 (the statutory duties of an attorney), the California Rules of Professional Conduct, and a number of uncodified cases. A few of the CRPC rules have clearly been inspired by ABA rules, though.

Of all American states, California is notorious for imposing the strongest duty of confidentiality upon its attorneys. There were no exceptions to the rule until 2004, when Business & Professions Code Section 6068 was finally amended to add a single discretionary exception to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. The amendment was clearly borrowed from the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct.

[edit] Lawyer discipline

The State Bar is the only bar association that operates a State Bar Court, equipped with judges who specialize in handling professional responsibility cases. Under the State Bar Act, upon receiving a complaint, the Bar may choose whether to open an investigation. If the Bar does find sufficient evidence of misconduct, it has the power to proceed against accused attorneys either in the Supreme Court of California or in the State Bar Court. Complaints of professional misconduct are usually first prosecuted in the Hearing Department of the State Bar Court. If the lawyer disagrees with an adverse decision, he or she may appeal to the Review Department of the State Bar Court, and from there to the state supreme court.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sperry v. Florida, 373 U.S. 379 (1963).
  2. ^ Bob Egelko, "Judgment Time For State Bar," Los Angeles Daily News, 21 June 1998, p. N9.
  3. ^ Harriet Chiang, "State Bar Layoffs Mean Slow Complaint Response," San Francisco Chronicle, 26 June 1998, sec. A, p. 21.
  4. ^ Rules Regulating Admission to Practice Law in California, The State Bar of California
  5. ^ http://www.ehlinelaw.com/tools/local/secureupload/content/FileName/684237395e36d56cc08dba2f50a004bf.pdf
  6. ^ Anna Oberthur, “Raising the Bar and the Meaning of Success: California’s Notorious Legal Exam Becomes a Crossroads Where Failure Can Lead to Happiness,” San Francisco Daily Journal, 23 May 2006, 1.
  7. ^ Oberthur, 1.
  8. ^ Oberthur, 1.
  9. ^ July 2005
  10. ^ July 2004
  11. ^ and July 2005

[edit] External links

Static Wikipedia (no images)

aa - ab - af - ak - als - am - an - ang - ar - arc - as - ast - av - ay - az - ba - bar - bat_smg - bcl - be - be_x_old - bg - bh - bi - bm - bn - bo - bpy - br - bs - bug - bxr - ca - cbk_zam - cdo - ce - ceb - ch - cho - chr - chy - co - cr - crh - cs - csb - cu - cv - cy - da - de - diq - dsb - dv - dz - ee - el - eml - en - eo - es - et - eu - ext - fa - ff - fi - fiu_vro - fj - fo - fr - frp - fur - fy - ga - gan - gd - gl - glk - gn - got - gu - gv - ha - hak - haw - he - hi - hif - ho - hr - hsb - ht - hu - hy - hz - ia - id - ie - ig - ii - ik - ilo - io - is - it - iu - ja - jbo - jv - ka - kaa - kab - kg - ki - kj - kk - kl - km - kn - ko - kr - ks - ksh - ku - kv - kw - ky - la - lad - lb - lbe - lg - li - lij - lmo - ln - lo - lt - lv - map_bms - mdf - mg - mh - mi - mk - ml - mn - mo - mr - mt - mus - my - myv - mzn - na - nah - nap - nds - nds_nl - ne - new - ng - nl - nn - no - nov - nrm - nv - ny - oc - om - or - os - pa - pag - pam - pap - pdc - pi - pih - pl - pms - ps - pt - qu - quality - rm - rmy - rn - ro - roa_rup - roa_tara - ru - rw - sa - sah - sc - scn - sco - sd - se - sg - sh - si - simple - sk - sl - sm - sn - so - sr - srn - ss - st - stq - su - sv - sw - szl - ta - te - tet - tg - th - ti - tk - tl - tlh - tn - to - tpi - tr - ts - tt - tum - tw - ty - udm - ug - uk - ur - uz - ve - vec - vi - vls - vo - wa - war - wo - wuu - xal - xh - yi - yo - za - zea - zh - zh_classical - zh_min_nan - zh_yue - zu -

Static Wikipedia 2007 (no images)

aa - ab - af - ak - als - am - an - ang - ar - arc - as - ast - av - ay - az - ba - bar - bat_smg - bcl - be - be_x_old - bg - bh - bi - bm - bn - bo - bpy - br - bs - bug - bxr - ca - cbk_zam - cdo - ce - ceb - ch - cho - chr - chy - co - cr - crh - cs - csb - cu - cv - cy - da - de - diq - dsb - dv - dz - ee - el - eml - en - eo - es - et - eu - ext - fa - ff - fi - fiu_vro - fj - fo - fr - frp - fur - fy - ga - gan - gd - gl - glk - gn - got - gu - gv - ha - hak - haw - he - hi - hif - ho - hr - hsb - ht - hu - hy - hz - ia - id - ie - ig - ii - ik - ilo - io - is - it - iu - ja - jbo - jv - ka - kaa - kab - kg - ki - kj - kk - kl - km - kn - ko - kr - ks - ksh - ku - kv - kw - ky - la - lad - lb - lbe - lg - li - lij - lmo - ln - lo - lt - lv - map_bms - mdf - mg - mh - mi - mk - ml - mn - mo - mr - mt - mus - my - myv - mzn - na - nah - nap - nds - nds_nl - ne - new - ng - nl - nn - no - nov - nrm - nv - ny - oc - om - or - os - pa - pag - pam - pap - pdc - pi - pih - pl - pms - ps - pt - qu - quality - rm - rmy - rn - ro - roa_rup - roa_tara - ru - rw - sa - sah - sc - scn - sco - sd - se - sg - sh - si - simple - sk - sl - sm - sn - so - sr - srn - ss - st - stq - su - sv - sw - szl - ta - te - tet - tg - th - ti - tk - tl - tlh - tn - to - tpi - tr - ts - tt - tum - tw - ty - udm - ug - uk - ur - uz - ve - vec - vi - vls - vo - wa - war - wo - wuu - xal - xh - yi - yo - za - zea - zh - zh_classical - zh_min_nan - zh_yue - zu -

Static Wikipedia 2006 (no images)

aa - ab - af - ak - als - am - an - ang - ar - arc - as - ast - av - ay - az - ba - bar - bat_smg - bcl - be - be_x_old - bg - bh - bi - bm - bn - bo - bpy - br - bs - bug - bxr - ca - cbk_zam - cdo - ce - ceb - ch - cho - chr - chy - co - cr - crh - cs - csb - cu - cv - cy - da - de - diq - dsb - dv - dz - ee - el - eml - eo - es - et - eu - ext - fa - ff - fi - fiu_vro - fj - fo - fr - frp - fur - fy - ga - gan - gd - gl - glk - gn - got - gu - gv - ha - hak - haw - he - hi - hif - ho - hr - hsb - ht - hu - hy - hz - ia - id - ie - ig - ii - ik - ilo - io - is - it - iu - ja - jbo - jv - ka - kaa - kab - kg - ki - kj - kk - kl - km - kn - ko - kr - ks - ksh - ku - kv - kw - ky - la - lad - lb - lbe - lg - li - lij - lmo - ln - lo - lt - lv - map_bms - mdf - mg - mh - mi - mk - ml - mn - mo - mr - mt - mus - my - myv - mzn - na - nah - nap - nds - nds_nl - ne - new - ng - nl - nn - no - nov - nrm - nv - ny - oc - om - or - os - pa - pag - pam - pap - pdc - pi - pih - pl - pms - ps - pt - qu - quality - rm - rmy - rn - ro - roa_rup - roa_tara - ru - rw - sa - sah - sc - scn - sco - sd - se - sg - sh - si - simple - sk - sl - sm - sn - so - sr - srn - ss - st - stq - su - sv - sw - szl - ta - te - tet - tg - th - ti - tk - tl - tlh - tn - to - tpi - tr - ts - tt - tum - tw - ty - udm - ug - uk - ur - uz - ve - vec - vi - vls - vo - wa - war - wo - wuu - xal - xh - yi - yo - za - zea - zh - zh_classical - zh_min_nan - zh_yue - zu

Static Wikipedia February 2008 (no images)

aa - ab - af - ak - als - am - an - ang - ar - arc - as - ast - av - ay - az - ba - bar - bat_smg - bcl - be - be_x_old - bg - bh - bi - bm - bn - bo - bpy - br - bs - bug - bxr - ca - cbk_zam - cdo - ce - ceb - ch - cho - chr - chy - co - cr - crh - cs - csb - cu - cv - cy - da - de - diq - dsb - dv - dz - ee - el - eml - en - eo - es - et - eu - ext - fa - ff - fi - fiu_vro - fj - fo - fr - frp - fur - fy - ga - gan - gd - gl - glk - gn - got - gu - gv - ha - hak - haw - he - hi - hif - ho - hr - hsb - ht - hu - hy - hz - ia - id - ie - ig - ii - ik - ilo - io - is - it - iu - ja - jbo - jv - ka - kaa - kab - kg - ki - kj - kk - kl - km - kn - ko - kr - ks - ksh - ku - kv - kw - ky - la - lad - lb - lbe - lg - li - lij - lmo - ln - lo - lt - lv - map_bms - mdf - mg - mh - mi - mk - ml - mn - mo - mr - mt - mus - my - myv - mzn - na - nah - nap - nds - nds_nl - ne - new - ng - nl - nn - no - nov - nrm - nv - ny - oc - om - or - os - pa - pag - pam - pap - pdc - pi - pih - pl - pms - ps - pt - qu - quality - rm - rmy - rn - ro - roa_rup - roa_tara - ru - rw - sa - sah - sc - scn - sco - sd - se - sg - sh - si - simple - sk - sl - sm - sn - so - sr - srn - ss - st - stq - su - sv - sw - szl - ta - te - tet - tg - th - ti - tk - tl - tlh - tn - to - tpi - tr - ts - tt - tum - tw - ty - udm - ug - uk - ur - uz - ve - vec - vi - vls - vo - wa - war - wo - wuu - xal - xh - yi - yo - za - zea - zh - zh_classical - zh_min_nan - zh_yue - zu