The California State Bar named a new top executive Thursday— a director with the policymaking body of the state’s courts with deep Sacramento roots— to steer the agency as it continues to deal with the fallout of the botched rollout of its new bar exam.
Laura Enderton-Speed, who currently leads the office providing leadership support to the Judicial Council of California, was appointed by a unanimous vote at the State Bar’s Board of Trustees meeting, according to a news release. She is also an adjunct professor at University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law and at California State University, Sacramento.
She takes the helm of the State Bar as it recovers from the administration of the February Bar Exam, which glitched and crashed widely as the agency attempted to launch a brand-new test that could be taken remotely. The Bar now faces audits and litigation from exam-takers who say they weren’t given a fair shot at licensure.
In the new job, she’ll need to help smooth the agency’s relationship with Sacramento, most recently agitated by the February test.
Enderton-Speed previously was the Judicial Council’s supervising attorney of government affairs. She also directed stakeholder relations for the California Public Employees Retirement System, and was deputy chief of external affairs at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation before that.
Former Executive Director Leah Wilson retired in July.
“Throughout my career in public service, I have worked to strengthen trust in government and advance fairness, accountability, and transparency,” Enderton-Speed said in a statement. “I look forward to bringing that experience to the State Bar in service of its vital mission to protect the public and ensure meaningful access to justice for all Californians.”
Her term is scheduled to begin Nov. 3.
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