State Bar Faces Difficult Search for New Leader

Today is California State Bar Executive Director Leah Wilson’s last day leading the agency.

She announced in May that she’d retire, as calls mounted for her resignation amid the chaos of the February bar exam.

State Bar leaders have praised Wilson for her effort to address racial disparities in the lawyer discipline system. Large racial gaps in disciplinary complaints, probations, and disbarments narrowed after Wilson led the Bar to launch comprehensive reforms. She was the Bar’s leader from 2017 to 2020 and resumed her position in 2021.

Her interim replacement is Erika Doherty, who three ...