In a letter from the Supreme Court’s Clerk and Executive Officer Jorge Navarrete, the court today told the State Bar it must amend rules about vetting applicants for State Bar Court judges and for the Bar’s board of trustees (see here and here) to prevent conflicts of interest.
The letter says: “At a minimum, these amendments should: (1) require candidates to disclose financial and nonfinancial interests that might affect, or might be affected by, the candidate’s service in the State Bar office in question; (2) require candidates to provide a list of attorneys whom the candidate would identify as creating a conflict in any future service with the State Bar; and (3) require the committees to review this information and evaluate whether it might disqualify a candidate or reduce a candidate’s rating.”
[April 20 update: Chief Justice Directs State Bar to Update Board’s Conflict of Interest Code.]
[September 4 update: Devon Belcher in the September 1 Daily Journal — “Bar needs more ethics rule revisions, Supreme Court says.”]
[November 21 update: Merrill Balassone’s news release for California Courts — “Court approves more robust measures to guard against conflicts of interest involving members of the State Bar Board of Trustees and the State Bar Court.”]
Related:
Matt Hamilton and Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times: “Tom Girardi gave $1 million in payments, gifts to top State Bar investigator, corruption probe finds“
“ ‘Shocking’ Tom Girardi scandal shows need for legal reforms, California chief justice says”