The state bar’s executive director told lawmakers Tuesday that she and California Supreme court staff have discussed asking the justices to levy a “special assessment” on lawyers to help fund the agency if the Legislature does not approve a fee increase.

Speaking before a joint meeting of the Legislature’s judiciary committees in Sacramento, Leah Wilson did not specify how much the bar might ask for or what the response from the court has been. In a brief response to a question from Senate Judiciary Chairman Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, Wilson would only confirm that discussions have taken place given “the uniqueness of the potential circumstance.”