California Bar External Audits Criticized, Fee Increase Needed

The California State Bar needs to improve its disciplinary process when using contracted investigators, the state auditor said Thursday, also recommending a hike to lawyer licensing fees to deal with increased personnel costs.

The legislatively ordered report criticized the agency’s failure to formalize a process to ensure external investigators—who are hired when there’s a potential conflict of interest in the Office of Chief Trial Counsel—are themselves free from conflicts.

The report is the latest to fault bar oversight as the agency contends with the fallout from investigations and revelations that disbarred plaintiffs’ attorney Thomas Girardi had hundreds of complaints against ...