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9/21/26 Update: September Board of Trustees votes to advance CJW model to the California Supreme Court
Read our press release here.
We are so grateful for all the members of our community who showed up to provide public comment, both written and in the meeting. Your commitment has made a difference! We will be sure to update this page with any new info and ways for you to continue to participate.
9/15/26 Update: September Board of Trustees Meeting
The materials for the CJW agenda item for Thursday's meeting have been posted. The CJW discussion is item 6.4 on the agenda. You can find the agenda and all materials at this link.
The State Bar received 110 public comments (Attachment K). Of the 110 commenters, 66 were attorney members and 44 were public members. Forty-nine comments (45 percent) were submitted on behalf of organizations: 28 by attorney members representing organizations and 21 by public members representing organizations. The remaining 61 commenters (55 percent) were submitted by individuals not representing organizations.
State Bar staff seeks input from the Board to guide the staff’s development of its recommendation for the November 2026 Board meeting. At that meeting, staff will seek Board action on whether to recommend adoption of proposed rule 9.45.1, including any revisions to the proposal, and any other recommendations as required by the Court.
The working group is disappointed by the delay, as the California Supreme Court seemed to recognize the urgency of the Access to Justice crisis and the opportunity for CJWs to help people in need. They requested a 45 day public comment period, rather than a longer period. Now, with the likely delay until November's Board of Trustees meeting, we are unable to comment more directly on recommendations. We believe there will still be the opportunity to comment at the November Board of Trustees meeting, once the State Bar staff's recommendations have been released.
We will be sure to post updates here as soon as they are available.
8/24/26 Update: The State Bar's public comment period has closed
We published this information to help our community submit public comment. We’re leaving this page up now as a resource, and will add specific updates here as more information becomes available.
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On Wednesday, July 8th, the California State Bar opened the public comment period for the CJW proposal. The public comment period will end August 22, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
We encourage everyone interested in the CJW model to connect with us to learn more before commenting. To field questions and suggestions from our community, we are currently conducting listening sessions with groups of stakeholders that include leaders from legal services organizations, members of the wider nonprofit community, and others within the legal sector.
On Thursday, August 13th the working group hosted an info session for anyone interested. Watch the recording here, or review the slide deck.
We are working with the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence and California Association of Nonprofits for two info sessions for their respective members. If you are active in either, you may register through these organizations.
As of August 13th, the working group has released three guides to submitting your public comment. These guides are works in progress as we continue to learn from our community. Feel free to reach out to Reann Pacheco, rpacheco@laaconline.org, with any questions or suggestions.
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CJW Public Comment Guide for Authorized Legal Services Organizations
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CJW Public Comment Guide for Non-Legal Nonprofit Partners
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CJW Public Comment Guide for California Lawyers
You can find the link to comment here.
What is being proposed
The California Supreme Court has issued a proposed set of rules that would allow non-attorneys to give legal advice under the supervision of nonprofit legal aid attorneys. The State Bar of California has opened a 45-day public comment period on the proposed rules, which define the scope of services CJWs may provide, training or certification requirements for the program, and the settings in which CJWs can assist clients.
Why this matters for nonprofits and your clients
Community Justice Workers can play a critical role in expanding access to justice by helping clients complete forms, understand processes, and navigate complex systems. Depending on how the rule is finalized, it could:
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Expand support by formally recognizing CJWs that could work at organizations like your to enable broader assistance to clients
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Provide protections by limiting services to selected areas of law
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Create requirements including training and supervision by legal aid attorneys to ensure high-quality services are provided
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Create professional development pathways for community members with lived experience
Your organization’s ability to continue providing effective, community-based support in partnership with legal aid offices may therefore be directly affected, in a positive way, if this rule is adopted.
You Can Take Action: Submit a Public Comment
We strongly encourage nonprofits and advocates to submit public comments to ensure that the final rule reflects the realities of community-based service delivery and expand meaningful access to justice.
When submitting comments, consider:
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How advocates similar to CJWs are currently used in your organization
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The impact of the proposed rule on your clients
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Recommendations to strengthen and expand access to services