90 percent paid their bar dues on time

Nearly 90 percent of California’s attorneys paid their 2008 State Bar membership dues by the statutory deadline of Feb. 1, up from 87 percent in 2007 and markedly up from 73 percent in 2006.

This is the second year that the State Bar Board of Governors has enforced the statutory deadline by attaching penalties for late payment on Feb. 2. The board voted in 2006 to adhere to the deadline, eliminating more than 100,000 additional statement mailings per year and resulting in a savings of nearly $300,000 over the last two years in printing, postage and administrative costs.

Attorneys who did not pay their fees by Feb. 1 now owe all fees plus a $100 penalty for actives and $30 for inactives. Of the attorneys in Group 3 (last names N-Z) whose MCLE compliance was due Feb. 1, nearly 86 percent complied on time, about the same as last year. Group 3 attorneys late with MCLE compliance now owe a $75 penalty.

Final delinquent notices to non-payers and late MCLE compliance notices will be mailed on March 15. Attorneys who do not pay dues and penalties by 5 p.m. June 30 will be suspended from practicing law.

In voluntary contributions recorded thus far, attorneys gave $854,000 to the new Justice Gap Fund, $316,000 to the California Bar Foundation, $127,000 to the Conference of Delegates of California Bar Associations and $126,000 to the California Supreme Court Historical Society.

Attorneys also gave $698,000 to fund State Bar lobbying and other legislative activity and $709,000 to support elimination of bias programs.