State Bar committees need volunteers
The State Bar is recruiting about
200 dedicated volunteers to fill about 200 positions on more than three dozen
committees, boards and commissions. Groups with open positions range from
committees dealing with access and fairness issues to section executive
committees focused on particular areas of the law to a committee addressing
questions of professional responsibility and conduct.
If your interest is the
day-to-day delivery of legal services to poor and middle-income individuals,
administering the IOLTA program and exploring ways to improve access to civil
justice, positions on legal services committees are also available. Most of the
appointments carry a three-year term. You can get an application by calling the
bar’s appointments office at 415-538-2370 or by faxing 415-538-2305. The
deadline to apply for most positions is Feb. 3, 2014.
A complete list of openings,
application forms and detailed committee information are available at the State
Bar’s website at www.calbar.org/appointments. Applicants can apply to up to three committees, but
can only be appointed to one. The State Bar’s Board of Trustees will make the
appointments between May and July 2014, and committee terms begin Sept. 14, 2014.
The committees seeking
applicants include:
- Courts/administration of justice
committees which review proposed changes in civil procedure, alternative
dispute resolution, appellate and federal rules, procedures and practices, as
well as comment on proposed legislation governing these issues
- Insurance committees, which act as
counsel to the board of trustees on insurance matters and oversee the bar’s
member group insurance programs, including life, accidental death and
dismemberment, disability, personal auto and homeowners, long-term care,
workers’ compensation and professional liability
- Regulatory committees such as the Committee
of Bar Examiners, Committee on Mandatory Fee Arbitration and Legal
Specialization commissions, which are established by statute and oversee
mandated admission, arbitration and certification programs of the State Bar
- The Council on Access and
Fairness, which is devoted to increasing diversity in the legal profession
Other positions are also open
on bar committees:
- Six positions will open on the American
Bar Association House of Delegates next August. State Bar delegates serve two-year terms
and may serve three consecutive terms. The State Bar does not reimburse its
delegates for travel or meeting expenses. All applicants, including incumbents
seeking reappointment, must file the 2014-15 application form by Feb. 3.
- In
addition, two lawyer positions on the Judicial Council will become
vacant. Members serve staggered three-year terms that run from Sept. 15 to
Sept. 14. Applicants must file the 2014-15 State Bar application by Feb. 3.
- The Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation will have 15 openings on its
2015 roster. Applications are due by June 2, 2014 for terms that begin Feb. 1,
2015.
- In
addition, two positions will open on the 2015 Lawyer Assistance Program
Oversight Committee. Members serve four-year terms that can be renewed. All
applicants, including incumbents seeking reappointment, must file the 2014-15
application form by June 2, 2014.
More information about these appointments
and application requirements is available on the State Bar website under Other Entity Appointments.