IN THE NEWS

After exam fiasco, State Bar of California faces deeper financial crisis

Leah T. Wilson, executive director of the State Bar, told state lawmakers at a Senate Judiciary hearing Tuesday that the agency expects to pay around $3 million to offer free exams to test takers, an additional $2 million to book in-person testing sites in July, and $620,000 to return the test to its traditional system of multiple-choice questions in July.




Artificial intelligence, pending lawsuits, and frustrated future lawyers: A look at February's California Bar Exam

California state lawmakers are calling for an audit of the state's February bar exam that was plagued with technical issues, concerns over AI-generated questions, and now, one of the highest pass rates of any spring exam since 1965.




Pressure grows on California State Bar to revert to national exam format

An influential California legislator is pressuring the State Bar of California to ditch its new multiple-choice questions after a February bar exam debacle and revert to the traditional test format in July.




Rehab Riviera: Heart-rending testimony pushes reform bills forward

Someone passed a box of tissues to Sequoyah Thiessen. Child abuse, she told the Senate Health Committee, drove her to drugs at age 15. But at 22, she vowed to get sober. Thus began a hellish descent into California’s private-pay, insurance-money-fueled segment of the addiction treatment system. “Treatment,” she told the senators, was an oxymoron there. She endured violence, sexual harassment, emotional manipulation, cult-like environments, grotesque living conditions, forced relapses, constant displacement.




California Lawmakers, Community Leaders and Law Enforcement Reflect on 100 Days of Prop 36

State and local elected officials, law enforcement, and community leaders came together to celebrate the first 100 days of Prop 36.




State Auditor Issues Critical Review of Angels Stadium Lease

The state’s auditor issued a review of the city of Anaheim’s lease with the Los Angeles Angels for Angel Stadium, criticizing a lack of access for inspections and its revenue-sharing terms, which compare unfavorably to other stadiums in the state.




Calif. leaders introduce online age verification bill

A pair of powerful California lawmakers is teaming up to pass legislation that would require device manufacturers to ascertain the age of users, with the goal of providing kids with age-appropriate online experiences. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Tom Umberg (D) and Assembly Appropriations Committee Chair Buffy Wicks (D) announced Tuesday that they will work together to advance the Digital Age Assurance Act. 




California Voters May Decide if Cities Can Fund Local Campaigns with Public Money

A bill in the California Legislature could change the way public officers and candidates raise money for their campaigns by allowing them to use public funds, with some rules in place. 




California bill seeks to keep thoughts private by regulating brain-computer interface data

If you agreed to a mind-meld with Spock, you wouldn’t expect the Vulcan to share all of your deepest thoughts with the entirety of the United Federation of Planets, would you? That’s exactly what Sen. Tom Umberg’s newest bill would prevent in the real world, where brain-computer interfaces are becoming more of a reality rather than a phenomenon from “Star Trek.”




Los Angeles County Bar Association Announces Recipients of Prestigious 2025 Annual Awards

The Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) is proud to announce the distinguished recipients of its highly coveted 2025 annual awards. LACBA will celebrate the following three exceptional individuals for their outstanding achievements and remarkable contributions to the legal community at its Installation and Awards Dinner on Friday, June 20, 2025, at the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.