The State Bar of California has selected Laura Enderton-Speed, a senior official at the Judicial Council of California, as its next executive director. Enderton-Speed will assume the role on November 3, taking the reins of the country’s largest attorney regulatory agency at a time of significant financial and political strain.

According to Reuters reporting, Enderton-Speed has overseen leadership support services at the Judicial Council and previously worked in governmental affairs. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

The bar, employing roughly 600 staff, is still reeling from February’s hybrid online and in-person bar exam rollout. Designed as a cost-saving measure, the exam was marred by technical and logistical failures. The fallout forced the resignation of then-executive director Leah Wilson and intensified scrutiny from lawmakers who were already critical of the bar’s oversight failures, including its handling of misconduct complaints against disbarred plaintiffs’ lawyer Tom Girardi.

Financial challenges remain central to the bar’s agenda. After years of state audit warnings, the agency raised annual dues for its 266,000 licensed attorneys in 2025 to $598 — the first increase in 25 years — but revenue gaps persist. As reported earlier this year, the fee increase did little to erase concerns over long-term solvency.

Board chairs Brandon Stallings and José Cisnernos said in a joint statement that Enderton-Speed’s policy and legislative experience will be critical as the bar works to stabilize operations and restore trust. Yet, with lawmakers watching closely and millions already spent to remedy the bar exam problems, the new executive director will step into one of the toughest leadership roles in U.S. legal regulation.