California Bar to Implement External Ombuds Office

The State Bar of California plans to create an Office of the Ombuds to serve members of the public, applicants for admission, legal consumers, attorneys, and other constituents. According to a report in Above the Law, the Ombuds would serve as an “independent, impartial and confidential resource to ensure that complaints about State Bar staff or actions receive full and impartial review.” While initially, the Ombuds office will focus on attorney discipline complaints and admissions, another task will be to develop and oversee a public education plan designed to empower legal consumers and the public with knowledge about their legal rights. 

An internal presentation indicates that California's official attorney licensing agency has already budgeted funds for an Ombuds office this year. The slides also reveal that the Bar has not determined the Ombuds' reporting structure, confidentiality, and relationship to formal structures and policies. (Above the Law; State Bar Agenda Item.)

Related posts: California Senate to Appoint Ombuds; Federal Court for Northern California to Continue Ombuds Program; State Bar of Texas Unveils Ombuds Program; IOA Selects New Executive Director [Ellen Miller, also President of the National Association of Bar Executives Board of Directors].