The California Bar would be prohibited from seeking prospective lawyers’ mental health records under a bill pending in the state Legislature.
California would become the latest state to remove the requirement for prospective lawyers to indicate their mental health and sign over medical records under Senate Bill 544. California lawyers once they pass the bar must be determined to be of “good moral character” under the state Business & Professions Code Section 6060(b). California lawyers are subject to regulation by the Legislature and admission and discipline by the California Supreme Court.
SB 544, by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D), received...