State Bar Under Threat

Re “Beleaguered State Bar Faces Uncertain Fate,” April 14:

In the nearly nine years that I have been employed as a special investigator for the State Bar of California’s client security fund, I have handled matters primarily involving attorney theft from clients. Our fund seeks to at least partially reimburse victims of theft for their loss, up to a $50,000 maximum. Forty dollars of the dues paid by all active, licensed California attorneys goes into this fund. If the state bar shuts down as is predicted, the client security fund is only one of many essential functions that are in jeopardy.

The real losers are not going to be me, other state bar staff, the Legislature, or even Gov. Pete Wilson. Without a discipline system in place, the consumer loses. Consumers will be forced to take their grievances to either fee arbitration, small claims court or the district attorney’s office. Other matters not involving financial issues will more than likely have to be simply written off and chalked up to Murphy’s Law.

And to think, many of us pay more per year to register and insure our cars than attorneys in California pay to practice law! The way things are stacking up around here, though, it looks like the bad ones may soon have a free license to steal.

KAREN SMITH

Los Angeles

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As one of the nearly 20,000 lawyers who voted to do away with the California State Bar, your article left me grinning. The problems that might arise from entrusting attorney discipline to a trade organization that consists only of attorneys would be obvious to any 6-year-old.

Admittedly, though, most 2-year-olds would have some difficulty grasping the concept of “Dracula in charge of the blood bank” or even “the fox guarding the chicken coop.” Could that explain why the powers that be at the state bar fail to appreciate the obvious?

DAVID L. SHARP

Whittier