§ 6070.5. — 6070.5. (Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 36, Sec. 1.)

(a)
The State Bar shall adopt regulations to require, as of January 1, 2022, that the mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE) curriculum for all licensees under this chapter includes training on implicit bias and the promotion of bias-reducing strategies to address how unintended biases regarding race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or other characteristics undermine confidence in the legal system. A licensee shall meet the requirements of this section for each MCLE compliance period ending after January 31, 2022.
(b)
When approving MCLE providers to offer the training required by subdivision (a), the State Bar shall require that the MCLE
provider meets, at a minimum, all of the following requirements:
(1)
The MCLE provider shall make reasonable efforts to recruit and hire trainers who are representative of the diversity of persons that California’s legal system serves.
(2)
The trainers shall have either academic training in implicit bias or experience educating legal professionals about implicit bias and its effects on people accessing and interacting with the legal system.
(3)
The training shall include a component regarding the impact of implicit bias, explicit bias, and systemic bias on the legal system and the effect this can have on people accessing and interacting with the legal system.
(4)
The training shall include actionable steps licensees can take to recognize and address their own implicit biases.
(c)
As part of the certification, approval, or renewal process for MCLE-approved provider status, or more frequently if required by the State Bar, the MCLE provider shall attest to its compliance with the requirements of subdivision (b) and shall confirm that it will continue to comply with those requirements for the duration of the provider’s approval period.

Legislative History

Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 36, Sec. 1. (AB 3364) Effective January 1, 2021.