California Lawyers Association Gains ABA Representation

The American Bar Association House of Delegates approved a plan last month to designate the California Lawyers Association as the primary state bar association representing California at the ABA.

The approval of ABA Resolution 200 calls for the CLA to receive two House of Delegates seats in addition to the current five seats appointed by our association and previously appointed by the State Bar of California. The House of Delegates is the ABA’s policy-making body that meets twice a year at the ABA Annual and ABA Mid-Year meetings.

The resolution continues the transition in California representation in the ABA House of Delegates triggered by CLA’s creation as an independent organization in 2018.

In 2019, as a result of the separation, the ABA granted CLA admission to the House of Delegates, recognizing our association as the secondary bar association in California and transferring to CLA five of the State Bar’s 11 delegate seats.

In November 2019, the CLA and the State Bar jointly petitioned the House of Delegates to transfer all but one of the remaining seats to CLA, noting that during the ABA’s Annual Meeting the State Bar advised its delegates “not to vote on 33 of the 57 resolutions because they were not germane to, or otherwise proper for consideration by, a regulatory agency.”

There will be further developments on the remaining three seats.