The State Bar Act.

Existing law, the State Bar Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, a public corporation. (1) Existing law requires the State Bar to comply with specified standards applicable to state agency contracts when awarding a contract for goods, services, or both, for an aggregate amount in excess of $50,000. This bill would require the State Bar to comply with those standards when awarding a contract for information technology goods, services, or both, only when the contract is for an aggregate amount in excess of $100,000. The bill would require the State Bar to report to the judiciary committees of the Legislature by April 1, 2010, and annually thereafter until January 1, 2014, on the impact of this change. The bill would also require the State Bar to have a preference for using in-house employees for information technology projects. (2) Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the State Bar to charge an annual membership fee for active members of up to $315 for the year 2009. Existing law also requires the board to charge an annual membership fee for inactive members of up to $75. Under existing law, these fees are payable on or before the first day of February of each year. This bill would require the board to charge that annual membership fee for active members for 2010. The bill would specify that, for 2010, the annual membership fee for active members and inactive members is payable on or before the first day of March. (3) Existing law provides for the registration and regulation of law corporations, as defined. Existing law requires law corporations to apply to the State Bar for registration and to supply the State Bar with specified information. Existing law also requires law corporations to pay a registration fee and an annual renewal fee and specifies that all fees are paid into the treasury of the State Bar. This bill would require these fees to be used for regulatory and disciplinary purposes. (4) Existing law, the Uniform Partnership Act of 1994, provides for the registration and regulation of limited liability partnerships, including those partnerships providing legal services. The act requires, at the time of registration and at all times these partnerships transact intrastate business, that these partnerships provide specified security for claims arising out of the practice of law. The act also requires a limited liability partnership providing professional services in this state to comply with the administrative registration or filing requirements of that profession's respective regulatory entity. In this regard, the State Bar, pursuant to its Rules of the State Bar, requires those partnerships that provide legal services to register with the State Bar by submitting an initial application and thereafter to renew annually and to include the payment of a fee in each of these instances. This bill would require these fees to be used for regulatory and disciplinary purposes. The bill would also require applicants for registration with the State Bar to file a separate form stating that the limited liability partnership has complied with the security requirements for claims arising out of the practice of law. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.