Jora Stixrud and Jacqueline Nguyen recently conducted pivotal research for the California State Bar, revealing that since 2019, when the last major study on racial disparity and attorney disciplinary action by the state was released, probation and disbarment gaps between Black and white attorneys have declined, reaching near parity.
The California Bar’s recent presentation of the report, reflecting data from 2018 through 2023 and approximately 122,000 attorneys, examined key factors that were previously identified as contributing to discipline disparities e.g., complaint volume, prior discipline history, and representation by counsel. While these factors continue to shape outcomes, the new report also found that these underlying influences had a lesser impact than reflected in the state’s 2019 report. A concerted effort by the California Bar to combat the previous disparity in disciplinary matters was attributed to more education and resources for attorneys, including legal representation, when facing complaints and investigations.
