AB 888

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law prohibits a person from practicing law in California, or from advertising or holding himself or herself out as practicing law, unless the person is an active member of the State Bar, or otherwise authorized, as specified, to practice law in this state. A violation of these provisions is a crime. This bill would, for violations of the above-described provisions, require the State Bar to disclose, in confidence, the information in its investigation to the agency responsible for the criminal enforcement of these provisions or exchange that information with that agency. This bill would authorize the State Bar to request the Attorney General, a district attorney, or a city attorney acting as a local prosecutor, to bring an enforcement action or bring a civil action in its own name, as specified. The bill would require the court, in a civil enforcement action by the State Bar for the unlawful practice of law, to impose a civil penalty not to exceed $2,500, to be paid to the State Bar. The bill would require the court to impose a civil penalty not to exceed $6,000 for the intentional violation of any injunction prohibiting the unlawful practice of law. The bill would specify that if the conduct constituting the intentional violation is of a continuing nature, each day of that conduct shall be deemed a separate and distinct violation. The bill would, in determining the amount of the civil penalty to be assessed for these violations, require the court to consider any relevant circumstances, as specified. The bill would require the court to consider, when applicable, additional relief provided under existing law and to award reasonable attorney's fees and costs, as specified. The bill would require any penalty collected pursuant to these provisions to be paid into the treasury of the State Bar and used for specified purposes. (2) Existing law requires the State Bar to issue an Annual Discipline Report by April 30 of each year describing the performance and condition of the State Bar discipline system during the preceding calendar year, as specified. This bill would additionally require the State Bar to annually report, by April 30 of each year, the number of complaints of the unauthorized practice of law received, requests for enforcement actions made to the Attorney General, a district attorney, or a city attorney acting as a local prosecutor pursuant to the provisions described in (1) above, and other unlawful practice of law proceedings filed by the State Bar, as specified, during the preceding calendar year. The bill would also require the report to include an accounting of any penalties collected pursuant to the provisions described in (1) above, and any expenditure of those funds, during the preceding calendar year. The bill would require the report to be made to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary and would authorize the information required by the report to be included in the Annual Discipline Report described above. (3) Existing law makes a person who engages in unfair competition, as defined, liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $2,500 dollars for each violation and requires that this penalty be assessed and recovered in a civil action brought in the name of the people of the State of California by specified persons in any court of competent jurisdiction. Existing law requires a court, for an unfair competition action brought at the request of a board within the Department of Consumer Affairs or a local consumer affairs agency, to determine the reasonable expenses incurred by the board or local agency in the investigation and prosecution of the action, and provides for the reimbursement of these expenses, as specified. This bill would similarly require the court, for an action brought at the request of the State Bar of California, to determine the reasonable expenses incurred by the State Bar in the investigation and prosecution of the action and provide for the reimbursement of these expenses. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.