(a) The State Bar, acting pursuant to Section 6001, shall assist the Sections of the State Bar to incorporate as a private, nonprofit corporation organized under Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code and shall transfer the functions and activities of the 16 State Bar Sections and the California Young Lawyers Association to the new private, nonprofit corporation, to be called the California Lawyers Association. The California Lawyers Association shall be a voluntary association, shall not be a part of the State Bar, and shall not be funded in any way through mandatory fees collected by the State Bar. The California Lawyers Association shall have independent contracting authority and full control of its resources. The California Lawyers Association shall not be considered a state, local, or other public body for any purpose, including, but not limited to, the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) and the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code).

(b) The California Lawyers Association shall be governed in accordance with the bylaws of the California Lawyers Association, which shall ensure that all of the State Bar Sections and the California Young Lawyers Association are adequately represented and are able to make decisions in a fair and representative manner that complies with all provisions of state and federal law governing private nonprofit corporations organized under Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code. The bylaws of the California Lawyers Association shall ensure that the governing board of the California Lawyers Association includes one representative of each of the 16 sections of the State Bar Sections and one representative from the California Young Lawyers Association. The bylaws shall ensure that each of these 17 governing board members have equal voting power on the governing board. The bylaws shall ensure that the governing board may terminate individual sections or add individual sections by a two-thirds vote of the governing board.

(c) The California Lawyers Association shall establish the criteria for membership in the California Young Lawyers Association. The California Lawyers Association may change the name of the California Young Lawyers Association to another name consistent with the criteria for membership and its mission.

(d) The State Bar may assist the California Lawyers Association in gaining appointment to the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates, consistent with the California Lawyers Association’s mission and subject to the consent of the ABA.

(e) The State Bar shall support the California Lawyers Association’s efforts to partner with the Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), subject to agreement by the University of California.

(f) The State Bar of California shall ensure that State Bar staff who support the sections, as of September 15, 2017, are reassigned to other comparable positions within the State Bar.

(g) The Sections of the State Bar or the California Lawyers Association and the State Bar shall enter into a memorandum of understanding regarding the terms of separation of the Sections of the State Bar from the State Bar and mandatory duties of the California Lawyers Association, including a requirement to provide all of the following:

(1) Low- and no-cost mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE).

(2) Expertise and information to the State Bar, as requested.

(3) Educational programs and materials to the licensees of the State Bar and the public.

(h) The State Bar of California shall assist the California Lawyers Association in meeting the association’s requirement to provide low- and no-cost MCLE by the inclusion on the State Bar’s Internet Web site of easily accessible links to the low- and no-cost MCLE provided by the California Lawyers Association.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 659, Sec. 45. (AB 3249) Effective January 1, 2019.)