State Bar Announcements

New Rules of Professional Conduct

The California Supreme Court approved new Rules of Professional Conduct last month, for the first time in 29 years. The nearly 70 new rules will take effect Nov. 1, 2018, and are largely aimed at protecting the public. In the meantime, the current rules will remain in effect. The Board of Trustees of the State Bar of California approved the proposed new rules in March 2017.

Attorney Re-Fingerprinting Order

Most active California attorneys will need to submit new fingerprints, in compliance with a California Rule of Court that took effect June 1, 2018. The State Bar has released detailed information and started notifying lawyers by email, and will continue on a rolling basis through early August—however, any attorney can undergo the re-fingerprinting process at any time, even if they have not yet received a notification: Simply log into your State Bar Profile to get started. Attorneys must submit new fingerprints by April 30, 2019 to avoid penalty. Re-fingerprinting will enable the State Bar to access criminal record information, pursuant to state law.