(a) Any entity of the State Bar of California exploring a regulatory sandbox or the licensing of nonattorneys as paraprofessionals shall do all of the following:

(1) Prioritize protecting individuals, especially those in need of legal assistance, from unscrupulous actors, including those actors seeking to do business in the legal field, above all else.

(2) Prioritize increasing access to justice for persons who qualify for legal assistance from qualified legal services organizations or from State Department of Social Services-funded immigration legal services.

(3) Exclude corporate ownership of law firms and splitting legal fees with nonlawyers, which has historically been banned by common law and statute due to grave concerns that it could undermine consumer protection by creating conflicts of interests that are difficult to overcome and fundamentally infringe on the basic and paramount obligations of attorneys to their clients.

(4) Adhere to, and not propose any abrogation of, the restrictions on the unauthorized practice of law, including, but not limited to, Sections 13405 and 16951 of the Corporations Code.

(b) This section does not limit the State Bar’s ability to provide limited practice licenses to law students and law graduates under certain conditions, and with the supervision of an active State Bar-licensed attorney.

(c) This section does not limit the examination of the use of technology to increase access to justice for persons who qualify for legal assistance from qualified legal services organizations or from State Department of Social Services-funded immigration legal services, low-income individuals, and small businesses, so long as proposals adhere to, and do not propose any abrogation of, the restrictions on the unauthorized practice of law, including, but not limited to, Sections 13405 and 16951 of the Corporations Code.

(d) This section does not preclude the State Bar from seeking feedback from legal services organizations, including organizations that provide legal services in family law and immigration law, community-based organizations, and consumers about options for increasing access to legal services.

(e) The State Bar shall not expend any funds, regardless of the source, on activities that do not meet the requirements of this section.

(f) The State Bar shall report to the Senate and Assembly Committees on Judiciary by January 15, 2023, on the total of all funding spent since 2018 to study the creation of a regulatory sandbox or the licensing of nonattorneys as paraprofessionals. The report shall be disaggregated by year, by source of funding, and by the use of funding, including, but not limited to, salaries, travel, food and beverage, facility rental, and lobbying.

(g) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2025, and as of that date is repealed.

(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 419, Sec. 3. (AB 2958) Effective September 18, 2022. Repealed as of January 1, 2025, by its own provisions. See later operative version added by Sec. 4 of Stats. 2022, Ch. 419.)