1-1     By:  Maxey, Wilson (Senate Sponsor - West)            H.B. No. 1712
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 7, 2001;
 1-3     May 7, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on
 1-4     Jurisprudence; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by the following
 1-5     vote:  Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to online public access to certain information regarding
 1-9     attorneys.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1. Subchapter H, Chapter 81, Government Code, is
1-12     amended by adding Section 81.115 to read as follows:
1-13           Sec. 81.115.  ONLINE ATTORNEY PROFILES. (a)  The state bar
1-14     shall create a profile of each attorney licensed by the state bar.
1-15     The profile must:
1-16                 (1)  include the information required by Subsection
1-17     (b);
1-18                 (2)  include the information described by Subsection
1-19     (c) if that information is provided by the attorney to the state
1-20     bar; and
1-21                 (3)  be compiled in a format that permits the state bar
1-22     to make the information contained in the profile available online
1-23     to the public.
1-24           (b)  A profile must contain the following information on each
1-25     attorney:
1-26                 (1)  the name of each law school attended and the date
1-27     the attorney graduated;
1-28                 (2)  the date the attorney became licensed to practice
1-29     law in this state;
1-30                 (3)  any specialty certification recognized by the
1-31     state bar and held by the attorney;
1-32                 (4)  the attorney's primary practice location;
1-33                 (5)  any public disciplinary sanctions issued by the
1-34     state bar against the attorney during at least the 10-year period
1-35     preceding the date of the profile; and
1-36                 (6)  any public disciplinary sanctions issued by an
1-37     entity in another state responsible for attorney discipline in that
1-38     state against the attorney during at least the 10-year period
1-39     preceding the date of the profile.
1-40           (c)  The profile must contain the following information on an
1-41     attorney if the attorney provides the information to the state bar:
1-42                 (1)  other states in which the attorney is licensed to
1-43     practice law;
1-44                 (2)  the courts before which the attorney has been
1-45     admitted to practice law;
1-46                 (3)  whether the attorney provides any language
1-47     translating services, including translating services for a person
1-48     with impairment of hearing, at the attorney's primary practice
1-49     location; and
1-50                 (4)  whether the attorney's client service areas are
1-51     accessible to persons with disabilities, as defined by federal law.
1-52           (d)  Information included under Subsection (b) or (c) that is
1-53     not maintained by the state bar in the ordinary course of the state
1-54     bar's duties shall be requested from an attorney annually.  In
1-55     requesting information from the attorney, the state bar shall:
1-56                 (1)  inform the attorney that compliance with the
1-57     request for information under Subsection (b) is mandatory;
1-58                 (2)  inform the attorney that compliance with the
1-59     request for information under Subsection (c) is voluntary;
1-60                 (3)  inform the attorney of the date the information
1-61     will be made available to the public; and
1-62                 (4)  instruct the attorney concerning the requirements
1-63     under Subsection (f) for the attorney to obtain a copy of the
1-64     attorney's profile to make corrections.
 2-1           (e)  This section does not require the state bar to disclose
 2-2     confidential information.
 2-3           (f)  The state bar shall:
 2-4                 (1)  annually provide to each attorney licensed by the
 2-5     state bar a copy of the attorney's profile; or
 2-6                 (2)  provide to an individual attorney a copy of the
 2-7     attorney's profile on request.  The state bar shall provide an
 2-8     attorney one month from the date a copy of the attorney's profile
 2-9     is provided to the attorney to correct factual errors in the
2-10     attorney's profile.
2-11           (g)  The state bar shall annually update the information
2-12     contained in an attorney's profile.  The state bar shall adopt a
2-13     form that allows an attorney to update information contained in the
2-14     attorney's profile.  The form shall be made available on the
2-15     Internet and in other formats as prescribed by rules adopted by the
2-16     state bar. The state bar may adopt rules relating to the type and
2-17     content of additional information that may be included in an
2-18     attorney's profile.
2-19           (h)  For purposes of administering this section, the state
2-20     bar may collect from each member of the state bar an annual fee of
2-21     not more than $10.
2-22           (i)  The state bar shall adopt rules as necessary to
2-23     implement this section.
2-24           SECTION 2. (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
2-25           (b)  The State Bar of Texas shall adopt the rules required
2-26     under Section 81.115, Government Code, as added by this Act, not
2-27     later than April 1, 2002.  The state bar shall make the initial
2-28     attorney profiles required under this Act available to the public
2-29     not later than September 1, 2003.
2-30           (c)  Notwithstanding Section 81.115(h), Government Code, as
2-31     added by this Act, the State Bar of Texas may collect from each
2-32     member of the state bar a fee of not more than $20 for each fiscal
2-33     year in the 2002-2003 biennium.
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