Better job market
for attorneys
The ratio of lawyers in California per thousand people in the state now nearly approximates the national average following a decade in which California clearly had an oversupply of attorneys.

Former Attorney General John Van de Kamp wins
State Bar presidency
Former attorney general and Los Angeles district attorney John Van de Kamp was elected the 80th president of the State Bar last month.

In Yolo County, grandparents and courts
join forces to change lives
It’s a cloudless Wednesday morning in the Yolo County seat of Woodland, and a woman who looks to be in her late ’50s or early ’60s is waiting patiently for the guardianship clinic to open. Precisely at 8:30, staff attorney Julie Osborne opens a countertop door to face the woman and her sheaf of guardianship petition papers.

Governor and courts reach budget accord
California court officials breathed a sigh of relief last month when Gov. Schwarzenegger announced he wants to restore more than $99 million to the trial courts in the next budget, although the reaction was tempered by the knowledge of continued shortfalls in some areas.

35.3 percent pass the February bar exam
The Committee of Bar Examiners announced last month that 35.3 percent of the would-be lawyers who took the February bar exam passed. That rate compares with the 37.5 percent pass rate for the February 2003 exam.

Thomas Jefferson law school wins competition
Teams of law school students from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and UC Hastings College of the Law took home first and second place honors in the Environmental Law Section’s recent Fifth Annual Student Environmental Negotiations Competition.

$390 fee bill moves through legislature
The State Bar’s fee bill for 2005 was approved by the state Senate on a 30-7 vote last month and now heads to the Assembly, where it is expected to be heard by the Judiciary Committee this month.

Online Exhibit Hall
The businesses and services listed here support the State Bar through various means, most notably as exhibitors at the State Bar's Annual Meeting. Visit them online or via phone to serve your individual needs.