State Bar Act: expedited licensure: federal attorneys.
Vote required
Two Thirds
Fiscal committee
No
Appropriation
No
Current location
Judiciary
Take action
Record your position on this measure.
Create an account to record your position, submit testimony, or contact your legislator.
Progress
Where this bill stands in the legislative process.
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Overview
This bill aims to expedite the licensing process for attorneys who were previously employed by federal agencies, specifically those laid off as of January 20, 2025. It seeks to establish a streamlined process that doesn't require these attorneys to take the standard California State Bar examination, instead relying on criteria like prior licensing in another jurisdiction and a statement of professional competence. The bill also introduces new provisions regarding disciplinary actions and ‘excluded events’ to ensure fairness and prevent unnecessary sanctions for attorneys facing legal issues in other states.
Key provisions
- Requires the State Bar to propose a process for expediting attorney licensure for former federal government employees.
- Defines ‘expediting the licensure’ as a process that doesn’t require the standard State Bar examination.
- Establishes criteria for expedited licensure, including prior licensing in a sister state or U.S. jurisdiction and a four-year minimum of active, good standing.
- Creates a new section (6106.4) defining ‘excluded events’ – certain legal actions in other states that shouldn’t be grounds for disciplinary action in California.
- Specifies that attorneys meeting the criteria are exempt from reporting ‘excluded events’ to the State Bar.
- Requires the State Bar to submit a proposal to the Supreme Court by January 1, 2026.
Who is affected
- Attorneys
- The State Bar of California
Bill text
Read the latest version inline or switch to a previous version.
Text extraction is in progress. View the official source.
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
1 on record
Primary sponsor
Committee on Judiciary
Arguments
Reasons offered for and against this legislation.
Arguments in favor
No arguments in favor have been submitted.
Submit yoursArguments opposed
No arguments opposed have been submitted.
Submit yours