California Bar Spends Half-Million Dollars on Access to Justice

The California Bar spent $552,000 over five years and a chunk of lobbying time to convince lawmakers to expand access to justice, the agency said in a report released Thursday.

The funds equal one quarter of what the agency paid for mandatory audits over the same period, Executive Director Leah Wilson said in a statement.

“I believe the efforts were more than worth it,” Wilson said. “The need for legal advice has only increased, and in 2023, we are seeing well-funded, unregulated providers rushing into the market for low-cost legal services, raising questions again about whether and how these services ...