Greenberg

Appellants contend the trial court improperly granted summary judgment on their claims against the State Bar of California (the State Bar), challenging the constitutionality of the State Bar’s mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE) program. We must affirm the trial court’s ruling, under the compulsion of the recent majority opinion of the California Supreme Court in Warden v. State Bar (1999) 21 Cal.4th 628 [ 88 Cal.Rptr.2d 283 , 982 P.2d 154 ] (Warden), which upheld the constitutionality of the MCLE program for California attorneys. (See Auto Equity Sales, Inc. v. Superior Court (1962) 57 Cal.2d 450, 455 [ 20 Cal.Rptr. 321 , 369 P.2d 937 ] (Auto Equity).)

I. Facts and Procedural History

Appellants are California attorneys licensed to practice by the State Bar. As such, they were required by Business and Professions Code section 6070, and rule 958, California Rules of Court, to comply with the requirements of the State Bar’s MCLE program of continuing legal education classes for practicing attorneys. The MCLE program required at the time that practicing attorneys who were not specially exempted from the program must attend 36 hours of education classes in every…