State Bar committees need volunteers

The State Bar is recruiting dedicated volunteers for approximately 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 or exploring ways to improve access to civil justice, positions on legal services committees are available. Most of the appointments carry a three-year term, and the application deadline is Jan. 29.

Applicants can apply to up to two committees but can only be appointed to one. The State Bar Board of Trustees will make the appointments between May and July 2016, and committee terms begin Oct. 2.

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 advisory commissions, which are established by statute and oversee mandated 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:

• Two healthcare professional positions will be open on the 2016 Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) Oversight committee. The committee seeks a licensed mental health professional with knowledge and expertise in the identification and treatment of substance abuse and mental illness, and a physician with knowledge and expertise in the identification and treatment of alcoholism and substance abuse. Members serve four-year terms that can be renewed. 
• Six positions will open on the ABA 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 and meeting expenses.
• One lawyer position on the Judicial Council will be vacant. Members serve staggered three-year terms that run from Sept. 15 to Sept. 14.
• The Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation anticipates 12 openings on its 2017 roster and seeks active members of the State Bar, former members of the judiciary and members of the public interested in volunteering to serve on the commission that evaluates candidates that the governor is considering for possible judicial appointment. Candidates must have the skills and experience to assess candidates for judicial appointment in a thorough, objective and professional manner and to provide timely and well-written reports while maintaining a strict code of confidentiality. Applications are due by May 6, 2016, for terms that begin Feb. 1, 2017.

A complete list of openings – along with the application form, detailed committee information and application requirements – is available at the appointments page of the State Bar website.