Welcome to the State Bar’s 2024 Annual Report

2024 brought significant achievements in our public protection mission and important changes to reinforce our commitment to accountability and transparency.

Major accomplishments included securing our second attorney licensing fee increase in 25 years, allowing us to strengthen our regulatory capacity and fund critical initiatives such as enhanced trust account oversight through the Client Trust Account Protection Program and expanded disciplinary diversion programs. Our Office of Chief Trial Counsel completed a major reorganization to prioritize cases involving the greatest public harm, improve efficiency, and focus expertise.

We distributed a record-breaking $180.8 million in legal aid funding, supporting legal aid staffing and assisting low-income Californians. We hosted summits that brought together hundreds of stakeholders to advance equity in the legal profession.

The State Bar strengthened its transparency and accountability through enhanced financial disclosure practices and conflict-of-interest protocols. We also launched new meeting portals and public comment systems to provide better public access to our governance processes.

2024 also included important developments in attorney admissions. The California Supreme Court issued an order to develop a new California-specific bar exam covering 12 topics and 7 skills. However, because this report is issued in 2025, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the unacceptable technical and other issues that occurred during the February 2025 bar exam.

As we move forward, we remain committed to learning from our experiences and strengthening our ability to protect the public, expand access to legal services, and foster diversity in California’s legal profession.