State Bar seeks public comment on revised rules of attorney professional conduct Thursday, June 30, 2016 Categories: News Releases Contact: Laura Ernde 415-538-2283 barcomm@calbar.ca.gov SAN FRANCISCO, June 30, 2016 – The State Bar of California’s Board of Trustees seeks public comment through Sept. 27 on proposed new and amended rules for attorney conduct in California. The 90-day public comment period is one step in the process in the State Bar’s development of the updated rules, which will ultimately be submitted to the California Supreme Court for approval by the end of March, 2017. Attorneys who violate the Rules of Professional Conduct are subject to discipline from the State Bar. These rules guide the legal profession and protect the public from misconduct. Last year alone the State Bar processed nearly 16,000 complaints of violations of these and other rules. The current rules have been in effect since 1987. The proposed 68 new and amended rules being released for public comment are the result of a series of public meetings held by the Commission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct and chaired by Justice Lee Edmon of the 2nd District Court of Appeal. The Board of Trustees, at the direction of the Supreme Court, appointed the commission in November 2014 to study the rules and make recommendations. “Updating the rules that guide attorney conduct is an important part of holding the legal profession to high ethical standards. I urge members of the public, attorneys and bar associations to make their voices heard in this important process,” State Bar President David J. Pasternak said. “I’m grateful to the commission and State Bar staff for all their hard work on a project that is vital to the bar’s public protection mission.” More information about the rules, along with instructions for commenting, is available on the State Bar website. Comments may also be submitted on rules that were considered but not recommended for adoption by the commission. On July 26, the State Bar will take in-person testimony at the State Bar’s San Francisco and Los Angeles offices. Sign up online to speak at the hearing. In addition to this Rule Revision work, highlights of State Bar accomplishments from last year alone: Processed nearly 16,000 discipline complaints Suspended or disbarred 421 attorneys Monitored over 1,200 attorneys on court-supervised probation Distributed $6 million to 1,200 victims of attorney misconduct from the Client Security Fund Answered more than 13,000 calls to the attorney ethics hotline California is the only state whose professional conduct rules for lawyers are not adapted from the American Bar Association Model Rules. Although the ABA rules may provide guidance, the Supreme Court urged the commission to keep the rules as a set of minimum disciplinary standards, avoiding rules that are purely aspirational standards. Previous Article Next Article