Supreme Court Names Appointments to State Bar Board of Trustees and Committee of Bar Examiners

The California Supreme Court made various State Bar-related appointments yesterday. 

Four individuals were appointed to the State Bar of California’s Board of Trustees, the State Bar's governing body, effective September 22. The appointees are:

• Attorney Raymond Buenaventura, a current member, was reappointed to a full four-year term. Buenaventura is the founder of the Buenaventura Law Firm in San Francisco and is the Mayor of Daly City.
• Attorney Mary Huser, a new member, was appointed to a four-year term to the position being vacated by attorney Mark Broughton. Huser is deputy general counsel at Airbnb.
• Attorney Brandon Stallings, the current vice chair, will serve as the next board chair for 2023–2024. Stallings is a deputy district attorney in Kern County. The court appointed him to the board in 2018.
• José Cisneros, a nonattorney, public member, will serve as the board's vice chair for 2023–2024. Cisneros is the Treasurer of the City and County of San Francisco.  The Governor appointed him to the board in 2019.

Five were named to the State Bar of California’s Committee of Bar Examiners. Their terms will begin next month. The appointees are: 

• Justice Shama Hakim Mesiwala, California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District.
• Judge Renee C. Reyna, San Mateo County Superior Court.
• Attorney Alan Yochelson, Head Deputy District Attorney, Los Angeles.
• Dr. Michael Cao, nonattorney, public, the committee’s current vice chair, will serve as committee chair for 2023–2024. Attorney Alex Chan, of the Devlin Law Firm, will serve as committee vice chair for 2023–2024.

The committee’s roles include development and administration of the California Bar Exam and oversight of the moral character determination and admissions processes for attorneys. The committee also accredits state law schools and registers unaccredited state law schools.