Legal aid.

(1) The State Bar Act provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, a public corporation. Existing law provides that it is the duty of an attorney to, among other things, never reject, for any consideration personal to himself or herself, the cause of the defenseless or oppressed. Existing law provides that a lawyer may fulfill his or her ethical commitment to provide pro bono services, in part, by providing financial support to organizations providing free legal services to persons of limited means. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to encourage the legal profession to make further efforts to meet its professional responsibilities and other obligations by providing pro bono legal services and financial support of nonprofit legal organizations that provide free legal services to underserved communities. This bill would prohibit a person or organization that is not a specified type of legal aid organization, as defined, from using the term "legal aid," or any confusingly similar name in any firm name, trade name, fictitious business name, or other designation, or on any advertisement, letterhead, business card, or sign. The bill would subject a person or organization that violates this prohibition to specified civil liability. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2011, and subject to funding specifically provided for this purpose, require the Judicial Council to develop one or more model pilot projects in selected courts for 3-year periods pursuant to a competitive grant process and a request for proposals. The bill would provide that legal counsel shall be appointed to represent low-income parties in civil matters involving critical issues affecting basic human needs in those courts selected by the Judicial Council, as specified. The bill would provide that each project shall be a partnership between the court, a qualified legal services project that shall serve as the lead agency for case assessment and direction, and other legal services providers in the community who are able to provide the services for the project. The bill would require the lead legal services agency, to the extent practical, to identify and make use of pro bono services in order to maximize available services efficiently and economically. The bill would provide that the court partner is responsible for providing procedures, personnel, training, and case management and administration practices that reflect best practices, as specified. The bill would require a local advisory committee to be formed to facilitate the administration of the local project and to ensure that the project is fulfilling its objectives. The bill would require the Judicial Council to conduct a study to demonstrate the effectiveness and continued need for the pilot program, and to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature on or before January 31, 2016. (2) Existing law sets the fees at $25 or $30 for various court services, including, but not limited to, issuing a writ for the enforcement of an order or judgment, issuing an abstract of judgment, recording or registering any license or certificate, issuing an order of sale, and filing and entering an award under the Workers' Compensation Law. This bill would provide, from July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2017, inclusive, that $10 of each fee collected pursuant to these provisions shall be used by the Judicial Council for the expenses of the Judicial Council in implementing and administering the civil representation pilot program described in (1) above. Commencing July 1, 2017, the bill would reduce each of those fees by $10.