California’s Supreme Court has told the State Bar Court to stop its informal practice of not requiring attorneys who have been suspended for 90 or fewer days to alert their clients, courts and opposing counsel.

In a May 18 letter to State Bar Court Presiding Judge Richard Honn, Supreme Court Clerk Jorge Navarrete said the change will align the bar court’s practices with Rule of Court 9.20, which requires lawyers to give clients advance notice that they will be temporarily unavailable to represent them.