> >

Committee of Bar Examiners

This committee examines applicants through the structure and administration of the First-Year Law Students' Examination and the California Bar Examination. The committee:

screens applicants for moral character.
recommends all qualified applicants to the California Supreme Court for admission to the bar.
accredits law schools in California.
registers unaccredited law schools.
studies and reports on proposed changes in the law and other matters concerning the requirements for admission to practice law in California.

The committee is composed of 10 lawyers, including one young lawyer member admitted three years or less before the time of his or her appointment, and nine public members (who must not be members of the State Bar or admitted to practice before any court in the United States).

The Governor, the Senate Rules Committee, and the Speaker of the Assembly appoint the nine public members.

The State Bar's Board of Trustees appoints only the lawyer members to this committee, and this application is for State Bar appointments only. Each lawyer must be an active member of the State Bar of California. Applicants cannot currently be employed as a law school administrator or professor, or associated with a bar review company.

Expected 2013-14 vacancies: 2 lawyer members
Approximate yearly commitment: 7 regular meetings (one-two days per meeting) plus an equal number of meetings for examination research, structure and grading, subcommittees, meeting preparation, moral character applicant interviews, and law school visitations.
Chair: Sean McCoy, Sacramento
Staff contact: Gayle Murphy 415-538-2322

Deadline for 2013 applications: Feb. 1, 2013

2013 terms begin: Conclusion of 2013 State Bar Annual Meeting (Oct. 13, 2013)