CLA

Attorneys will be needed to help staff information hotlines and provide direct legal services through various California legal services programs and area law schools. Attorneys may also be needed to help supervise law students who can provide service. There are several places to sign up to assist with these efforts. This listing will be refreshed as more opportunities become available: State Bar of California Registry. Read more

By Jim Hill, CLA Board Chair What a difference a year makes! At this time last year, the 16 Sections of the State Bar of California were hard at work planning for the future – soon to be separated from the State Bar of California after decades of administrative support and oversight. Last December, leaders of the Sections and the California Young Lawyers Association (CYLA) met in Los Angeles to draft our formative bylaws and begin adopting core policies and… Read more

In 2018, legislation was introduced that would have required lawyers to annually complete a minimum of 25 hours of pro bono service or contribute $500 to support legal services. Although CLA strongly supports both pro bono legal services and increased funding to support the provision of legal services to indigent persons, CLA expressed several concerns with the legislation as introduced, as well as its views on alternative ways in which the overarching goals of the legislation could be met. Ultimately, the legislation did not advance. Read more

We are deeply engaged in the policy debate to resist a movement to tax legal and other professional services in California.  Imposition of such a tax would increase the cost of legal services, decrease access to justice, put California law firms at a competitive disadvantage as compared to out-of-state law firms, and disfavor California offices of national law firms because clients might opt to use offices in other states that do not impose such a tax. Read more

CLA successfully advocated in support of the enactment of legislation that authorized out-of-state attorneys and attorneys from foreign jurisdictions to represent parties in international commercial arbitrations in California.  Read more