In case you missed it, here is news about important changes to Rule 32, the Arizona Supreme Court rule that establishes and defines the State Bar. The changes were proposed by the Task Force on the Review of the Role and Governance Structure of the State Bar of Arizona, led by former Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch. The task force was created in 2014 (see the Order).
As the State Bar reports,
“The State Bar of Arizona’s consumer protection role has been enhanced thanks to a revised rule from the Arizona Supreme Court. The changes to Rule 32 … add language that refines the organization’s mission. While the State Bar has always focused its efforts on protecting the public, that language is now in the rule. The updated wording says, ‘The State Bar of Arizona exists to serve and protect the public with respect to the provision of legal services and access to justice.’”
Other changes affect the Board of Governors and the Board of Legal Specialization, among other things.
You can read about the changes here.
And the full rule change is here.
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August 12, 2015
Comment period opens for @azcourts review of @AZStateBar mission, governance
Posted by azatty under Arizona Attorney Magazine, Courts, Judge, Legal events, State Bar of Arizona News | Tags: Arizona Supreme Court, Board of Governors, Chief Justice Scott Bales, Justice Rebecca White Berch, mandatory bar, public comment, State Bar of Arizona, voluntary bar |Leave a Comment
A Supreme Court task force report on the State Bar of Arizona is described by Justice Rebecca Berch, via video available on the Court’s website.
In July 2014, Chief Justice Scott Bales signed an administrative order creating a task force to examine “the mission and governance of the State Bar.” The new group was charged with drafting its report by September 1, 2015. That draft report is now available, and the Court is seeking comment.
The task force’s website includes detail about its members, information about its many meetings, and a link to the draft report.
You can link directly to the report here.
Among multiple recommendations, the task force recommends: a reduction in the size of the State Bar Board of Governors (from 30 to between 15 and 18); and clarification of the Bar’s primary mission, which is to serve and protect the public.
One of the elements discussed by the task force was whether the Bar should be maintained as an integrated (mandatory) organization. The task force recommended that it should (though the decision was not unanimous among task force members).
After reading the report, public comment on it can be submitted by email to BarGovernance@courts.az.gov.
You can read Chief Justice Bales’ original Administrative Order here.
More information about the report (and maybe some coverage in Arizona Attorney Magazine) will follow as we head into the fall.
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