State Bar releases Annual Discipline Report STATE BAR RELEASES ANNUAL DISCIPLINE REPORT Friday, April 29, 2016 Categories: News Releases SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2016 —The State Bar of California today released its Annual Discipline Report for 2015, showing progress in its efforts to protect the public while identifying areas for improvement. The report showed that the backlog of complaints against attorneys pending for more than six months dropped to its lowest level since 2009. In addition, even though the number of filings in State Bar Court decreased compared to 2014, the number of attorneys ultimately suspended or disbarred increased. The State Bar received 15,796 new complaints against California lawyers in 2015. Although the number of complaints from clients, relatives of clients or opposing parties dropped slightly, the number of State Bar-initiated inquiries increased by 36 percent. The report said this increase reflects the State Bar’s commitment to being proactive in identifying and addressing potential problem lawyers. The report also identified a need to focus more resources on the problem of the unauthorized practice of law, particularly in the immigrant community. “Efforts to develop more effective ways to identify, investigate and respond to immigration-related complaints will receive heightened attention in 2016,” Executive Director Elizabeth Parker said. “In candidly pointing out the problems of the past and plans for the future, we will re-enforce our commitment to both transparency and accountability.” Previous Article Next Article