Important updates coming January 1, 2026. Here’s what you need to know.
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2026 UPDATES AND REQUIREMENTS
Read it, declare it, mean it: California’s annual civility declaration
The California Supreme Court has amended rule 9.7 of the Rules of Court: All active licensees and special admissions attorneys—which, for purposes of rule 9.7, includes foreign legal consultants—are required to submit an annual declaration of adherence to the attorney oath.
The attorney oath includes a commitment to act with dignity, courtesy, and integrity.
This declaration will be required each year beginning with the upcoming 2026 renewal cycle.
Check your compliance dashboard in My State Bar Profile to determine if you have any outstanding requirements.
This means that even if you reported your trust accounts previously, or you do not receive or hold entrusted funds, you must still comply with the Client Trust Account Protection Program reporting requirement.
Reminder: CTAPP requirements apply to government employees. Government entities that manage or oversee trust accounts must designate a licensee and complete annual registration to remain in compliance.
Check your compliance dashboard in My State Bar Profile to determine if you have any outstanding requirements.
Reporting pro bono hours is now mandatory
Effective 2026, Business and Professions Code section 6073.2 requires all active licensees to report the amount of pro bono and/or reduced fee legal services hours provided to low-income individuals, nonprofit organizations, or public law libraries during the past year.
What’s required? The State Bar encourages but does not require active licensees to provide pro bono legal services each year. For the upcoming licensing fee cycle, licensees will report the hours of pro bono and reduced fee legal services performed from January 1 through December 31, 2025. Licensees will have the option to report their hours in ranges, that they did not track their hours of pro bono or reduced fee legal services, that they did not provide pro bono or reduced fee legal services, or that they decline to answer.
What will the State Bar do with this data? The State Bar plans to analyze the data to determine trends in pro bono and reduced fee legal services to inform initiatives that encourage additional pro bono and reduced fee legal services work to address the justice gap. Data will only be reported in the aggregate.
Effective January 1, 2026, Business and Professions Code section 6091.4 mandates California attorneys to disclose records, including client communications, related to the receipt, holding, and disbursement of funds.
Why it matters: This provision enhances oversight and ensures accountability in managing client funds.
Mandatory disclosure: Attorneys must provide requested records during forthcoming compliance reviews or audits conducted under the auspices of the Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP). This includes all records or communications, including account journals, client ledgers, fee agreements, client files, and billing statements.
Protections: The statute provides that such mandated disclosure does not violate or waive traditional confidentiality privileges and that the records remain confidential with the State Bar.
The bottom line: The new statute requires California attorneys to disclose records to permit oversight of their client trust accounts and also protects attorneys from being deemed in violation of professional duties of confidentiality.
For more details, read the Daily Journal article by Steven Moawad and Jennifer Stalvey from the State Bar’s Division of Regulation.
🔔 In case you missed it: The State Bar’s CTAPP FAQ is a handy resource for attorneys looking to resolve common CTAPP reporting issues.
Trust account bank reporting requirements take effect in 2026
Starting January 1, 2026, licensees must provide the name and State Bar license number of the “designated licensee,” defined in rules 2.4(D) and 2.5(E) of the Rules of the State Bar, to the financial institution when opening a new client trust account.
For existing client trust accounts, licensees must provide the designated licensee information to the financial institution between January 1 and July 1, 2026.
Solo practitioners are the designated licensee. Firms with two or more licensees must determine one designated licensee for each trust account. The designated licensee must be a signatory on the account and is responsible for performing or supervising the monthly reconciliations.
Additionally, if a designated licensee becomes inactive, ineligible to practice, or leaves the firm, a new designated licensee must be assigned within 30 days or the account must be closed.
At its November 2025 Board of Trustees meeting, the Board considered adoption of proposed changes to the Schedule of Charges and Deadlines. You can view the meeting agenda and view a recording of the meeting for more information.
The Board approved increases for various Admissions fees, but limited the proposed fee increases for general applicants for the California Bar Exam and the Practical Training of Law Students program to a Consumer Price Index adjustment. The Board’s action will begin to address a critical structural deficit and rebuild depleted reserves that have been strained by unanticipated costs resulting from the February 2025 exam. The Board also approved revisions to the Mandatory Fee Arbitration fees to incorporate the new voluntary fee mediation program and added a new legal specialization noncompliance fee in addition to other general updates to the Schedule of Charges and Deadlines.
The fee increases will be effective January 1, 2026. The updated Schedule of Charges and Deadlines will be posted online by January 1, 2026.
Public comment opportunities
A few of the latest public comment items are highlighted below; please see all details and links to comment forms, as well as more public comment opportunities here.
Proposed Amendments to Rules Related to Lawyer Referral Services: The State Bar seeks public comment on proposed amendments to rules related to Lawyer Referral Services to implement Business and Professions Code section 6155 and modernize State Bar regulatory standards.
Proposed New and Revised Rules Related to Grants Administration (Reissued): The State Bar seeks comment on recommended changes to the Rules of the State Bar governing funds administered by the Legal Services Trust Fund Commission to support free civil legal services to indigent persons in California.
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