Board Focuses on California Supreme Court’s NextGen UBE and California Component Order

At its July 16, 2026, meeting, the Board of Trustees heard a presentation from Admissions Chief Donna Hershkowitz highlighting the California Supreme Court's order approving the State Bar's recommendation to move to the National Conference of Bar Examiners' NextGen Uniform Bar Examination (NextGen UBE) beginning in July 2028 and to prepare the addition of a California component for July 2029. Hershkowitz highlighted some of the California component decisions that will need to be made before a preliminary recommendation is sent to the Court in February 2027.

"As Committee of Bar Examiners Chair Alan Yochelson and I said following the Court's decision, we welcome the California Supreme Court's order that the State Bar adopt the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination beginning in July 2028, as well as to prepare a proposal for a California-specific component for the Court's consideration for implementation in July 2029," said State Bar Board Chair José Cisneros. "The Board of Trustees and the Committee of Bar Examiners carefully evaluated various options and recommended moving to the NextGen UBE and a California component soon after, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Court as this work moves ahead."

In other actions, the Board:

• Approved taking a support position on a portion of SB 574 (Umberg), which includes the Board-adopted legislative priority to strengthen the State Bar's voluntary certification program for Alternative Dispute Resolution firms, providers, and practitioners.
• Reaffirmed the California Bar Exam's existing grading practices, while revising policy to allow for individual exam results to be released to applicants no later than 4:00 p.m. on the scheduled Friday release date (instead of 6:00 p.m.), and the public pass list to be posted on the next business day rather than Sunday morning. These adjustments improve the timeliness and clarity of how results are communicated while keeping all other grading procedures unchanged.
• Received the 2025 Office of Public Trust Liaison (OPTL) Annual Report, which documented the official 2025 launch of the Attorney-Client Bridge Program (ACBP), as well as an increase in the office's public-facing responsibilities. In 2025, OPTL managed and resolved all 1,794 Public Trust Liaison inquiries-the office's highest volume since its creation in 2023. The report also detailed the continued development and impact of ACBP, which completed 729 resolutions in 2025.
• Since its launch, ACBP has resolved 1,254 matters related to attorney-client communication and the return of files once an attorney-client relationship ends. Correspondingly, the report shows that higher ACBP resolution levels continue to align with reduced complaint volumes received by the Office of Chief Trial Counsel (OCTC) on these issues, demonstrating a consistent inverse trend: As ACBP resolutions increased in 2024 and 2025, OCTC recorded fewer communication and file-related complaints. This pattern illustrates the program's effectiveness as an early intervention model that diverts issues from the formal discipline system while improving outcomes for both clients and attorneys.

Note: The Board's Item 4.1, Approval of Annual Appointments of Officers and Members of State Bar Subentities, was postponed to a later date.

In today's Board Finance Committee meeting, the committee discussed:

• The 2026 General Fund fee increase recommendations, which presented the triennial review of General Fund program service fees required under Board policy and consistent with the 2023 State Auditor report. Staff reviewed program revenues and expenditures, operational considerations, and fee comparisons across jurisdictions, and outlined three fee scenarios for each program: the fee needed to break even, the consumer price index (CPI)-adjusted fee, and the staff-recommended fee. The discussion summarized recommended increases for MCLE Provider Certification and CPI-only adjustments for Lawyer Referral Service, Mandatory Fee Arbitration, Certificates of Standing, Legal Specialization, Education, and Voluntary Resignation.
• Noncompliance fees and State Bar rule 2.16 waivers, covering how Attorney Annual Renewal reporting obligations have grown, efforts to drive timely compliance through proactive and reactive outreach, 2026 compliance results and penalties assessed, comparisons with other regulators and attorney licensing jurisdictions, and the application of State Bar rule 2.16 waivers and State Bar rule 1.26. The Finance Committee and State Bar staff also discussed the possibility of conducting outreach via text messages with attorneys who are in jeopardy of missing a reporting deadline and at risk of being placed on inactive status.

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The State Bar of California's mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.