Digital Annual Report of the State Bar of California
The annual report is published by a company or organization to make the stakeholders aware of the activities and performance of the company. It consists of a discussion regarding the past year’s activities. At the same time, it includes planning for the future based on financial data and other essential factors. The annual reports are also available for the public from the companies offering stock.
Similarly, the State Bar of California has published its second digital annual report to give an insight to the stakeholders and public about its history. As it is obvious, the coronavirus pandemic has taken over the world last year. The annual report describes how the pandemic changed everything for the State Bar of California as it did for every other company or individual. After the arrival of the pandemic, they make necessary adjustments at once to ensure that it doesn’t affect their services for the public. The State Bar of California faced a lot of challenges due to the sudden changes but it doesn’t only continue the public protection mission but also keeps proceeding with its critical policy work with patience and persistence. It was an unpredictable situation that the State Bar of California had never dealt with before. The report is highlighting examples to show how the system made things work out in the end despite the odds.
Here are some examples of responding to the current situation efficiently.
It provided more than 550 employees with the latest technology equipment to make them work remotely during job hours. It further helps ensure their continued ability to serve the public.
It established a remote call center to provide 24*7 service to the public.
It delayed the June 2020 bar exam and took its first online exam in October to maintain the flow of the system.
It launched a new licensing program for law graduates to enable them to practice law as a lawyer after giving the bar exam.
It got adapted to remote proceedings immediately. As a result, it organized more than 1300 events remotely in 2020.
It helped the legal services funding to recover the loss of $20 million by making fiscal adjustments rapidly. The significant loss was the result of a sudden fall in interest rate but the State bar managed to tackle the situation effectively.
It took advantage of the lower interest rate by reducing the real estate financing cost and overcoming the financial losses caused by the pandemic.
As far as strategic objectives of the State Bar of California are concerned, it showed significant progress in setting them up to address DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) in the legal profession of California. It took the important policy initiatives which were required according to the pandemic situation. It kept going with the flow while maintaining and adjusting the daily operations.
One of the most important steps it took to establish strategic objectives include:
Publishing the first report card on diversity and joining hands with leads in this field to ensure that they all work together in making improvements in DEI in the legal profession.
Taking action against those who caused disparity in the discipline system. It includes the process of archiving almost 400,000 closed complaints and encouraging counselors to investigate for the misconduct.
Introducing a new Ad Hoc Commission on the Discipline System that serves the purpose of giving recommendations for improving the effectiveness and fairness of the system.
Working for the biases in the bar exam related to the grading and questions.
Collaborating with the legal services community to develop a strategy that can help resolve the issue of decline in legal aid funding due to reduced interest rates.
Planning innovative work on policy changes to cover the increasing justice gap of California.
The initiatives taken by the State Bar of California were identified by the Government and it led to the increase in their fee for the first time in 20 years.
Trained a new team to add in the office of Chief Trial Counsel to reduce the pile-ups of discipline cases they have on their plate.
Distributed $11.75 million in Client Security Fund Refund.
Helped the staff to bear their cost of living by making some necessary adjustments and also provided health benefits to the people who were going to get retirement.
Improved the organizational stability by restoring the State Bar’s consumed financial reserves.
According to the annual report of The State Bar of California, it deserves access to a fair legal system that does its job with integrity and commitment. The entire workforce of the State Bar including trustees, volunteers, advisory bodies, and task-forces are working together to achieve its greater vision and mission. It hopes to keep serving the public with the same dedication in the future as it has done in the past.
You can view the complete report at https://annualreport.calbar.ca.gov/2020-annual-report/preface/
