Dues bills will be mailed next month
The bills for the 2012 State Bar dues will be mailed to members Dec. 1; the deadline for payment
is Feb. 1. Although the legislature authorized a $410 fee, it also approved a
one-time $10 rebate for all California lawyers. Therefore, active lawyers will
owe $400. The fee includes $40 for the Client Security Fund, $25 for
disciplinary activities, $10 for the Lawyer Assistance Program, $10 for a
building fund and $10 for technology upgrades; the remainder goes to the general
fund.
Inactive members will owe $115, an amount that includes $10 for both the Client Security Fund
and the building fund, $25 for discipline and $5 for the LAP as well as general
fund money. Annual membership fees are waived for inactive lawyers who are 70
years of age on Feb. 1.
Those lawyers whose last names start with H-to-M (Group 2) also have a Feb. 1 due date to
report completion of their 25 hours of MCLE.
Failure to pay dues by the deadline will trigger a $100 late payment penalty for active lawyers
and a $30 penalty for inactive attorneys.
Lawyers also will have the opportunity to donate to the Justice Gap Fund (recommended donation
$100), the California Bar Foundation ($50 recommended
donation), the Conference of California Bar Associations (CCBA
— $35 recommended donation) and the California Supreme Court
Historical Society (CSCHS — a $25 donation is recommended). In
addition, they can deduct $5 for lobbying, $5 for the elimination of bias fund
and another $20 — with an option to donate that amount to legal services.
Active lawyers with qualifying income levels are eligible for a 25 percent reduction in the
membership fee. To qualify, a lawyer must declare a total gross annual
individual income from all sources of less than $40,000 in 2011.
Dues can be paid and MCLE compliance can be reported online by logging on to My State Bar Profile.