(a) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Committee of Bar Examiners shall adopt rules that shall be effective on and after January 1, 2008, for the regulation and oversight of unaccredited law schools that are required to be authorized to operate as a business in California and to have an administrative office in California, including correspondence schools, that are not accredited by the American Bar Association or the Committee of Bar Examiners, with the goal of ensuring consumer protection and a legal education at an affordable cost.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the committee shall adopt rules that shall be effective on and after January 1, 2008, for the regulation and oversight of nonlaw school legal programs leading to a juris doctor (J.D.) degree, bachelor of laws (LL.B.) degree, or other law study degree.
(b) Commencing January 1, 2008, the committee shall assess and collect a fee from unaccredited law schools and legal programs in nonlaw schools in an amount sufficient to fund the regulatory and oversight responsibilities imposed by this section. Nothing in this subdivision precludes the board of trustees from using other funds or fees collected by the State Bar or by the committee to supplement the funding of the regulatory and oversight responsibilities imposed by this section with other funds, if that supplemental funding is deemed necessary and appropriate to mitigate some of the additional costs of the regulation and oversight to facilitate the provision of a legal education at an affordable cost.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 417, Sec. 34. (SB 163) Effective January 1, 2012.)