SB 215: State Bar of Georgia; responsibilities of the administrative arm of the Supreme Court relative to the practice of law in this state; provide

Georgia currently requires anyone licensed to practice law to belong to the State Bar of Georgia, a self-governing association created by the Supreme Court that sets rules, examines applicants, enforces ethics rules, and requires continuing education. This bill would repeal the law creating that mandatory, unified bar and instead say the Supreme Court's administrative arm handles those same core functions (rule-making, licensing exams, admission, ethics enforcement, continuing education, and pursuing unauthorized practice of law) without requiring lawyers to join or pay fees to any association as a condition of being licensed. The bill cites the U.S. Supreme Court's Janus v. AFSCME decision on forced association and mandatory fees as its rationale. It keeps the right to a jury trial before a final disbarment order and keeps the public hearing process for new rules, but repeals the section allowing rules to be amended. The changes would take effect July 1, 2026.

• Repeals the current law establishing the State Bar of Georgia as a mandatory, unified, self-governing bar association for everyone licensed to practice law in the state.
• Declares that no individual can be required to belong to any association of licensed attorneys, including the State Bar of Georgia, to get or keep a law license.
• Keeps the Supreme Court's administrative arm responsible for licensing exams, admitting applicants, enforcing ethics rules, continuing education requirements, and pursuing unauthorized practice of law.
• Preserves the right of an attorney facing a final disciplinary order or disbarment to request a jury trial in superior court.
• Repeals the existing Code section that allowed rules governing the bar to be amended (O.C.G.A. § 15-19-34).
• Sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, and repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.

Georgia lawyers and law license applicants, the State Bar of Georgia as an organization, the Georgia Supreme Court's administrative functions, and members of the public who rely on attorney licensing, discipline, and unauthorized-practice enforcement.

If enacted, Georgia attorneys would no longer be required to join or pay dues to the State Bar of Georgia to practice law, changing how the legal profession is organized and funded in the state, while licensing, ethics enforcement, and discipline would continue under the Supreme Court's administrative arm.

• Section 1 lays out legislative findings based on Janus v. AFSCME, stating lawyers should not be forced to pay association fees used for advocacy beyond core regulatory functions.
• Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 15-19-30 to remove the 'unified self-governing bar association' and instead list six regulatory functions the Supreme Court's administrative arm handles.
• Section 3 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 15-19-31 to bar any requirement that a licensed attorney join an association, including the State Bar of Georgia, as a condition of licensure.
• Section 4 revises O.C.G.A. § 15-19-32 to preserve the jury trial option before a final disbarment order, applying it to 'the practice of law' rather than 'the unified state bar.'
• Section 5 revises O.C.G.A. § 15-19-33 so proposed rules governing the practice of law are furnished to all licensed individuals, not just bar 'members,' before public hearings.
• Section 6 repeals O.C.G.A. § 15-19-34 in its entirety, eliminating the existing process for amending bar rules.
• Section 7 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026.

1. 2025-02-20Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-02-19Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)Primary sponsor
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)

• State Bar of Georgia
• attorney licensing
• legal profession regulation
• First Amendment
• bar membership