California state bar leaders will ask lawmakers to approve a $125 attorney licensing fee increase in 2025, placing the agency’s marker on an issue that will be negotiated over the next five months of the legislative session.

The fee increase would be paired with the introduction of a model that, going forward, would bill California’s 196,000 active attorneys based on their occupations, not a flat fee. Each occupation would fall into one of 11 practice sectors. Those working in presumably higher-paying sectors would pay higher bills.