Local Rule C: Uses of the Admission Fund

C. Uses of the Admission Fund 1. Prohibited Expenditures:

a. Attorney admission funds must not be used to pay for goods or services for which appropriations may legally be used, even if the appropriated funds are exhausted or otherwise not available (e.g. because an expenditure would exceed a judiciary spending limit). These funds may not be used to pay for, in whole or part, material, supplies, services, or salaries available from statutory appropriations.

b. Attorney admission funds must not be used to supplement the salary of any judge or court employee, or to provide a personal benefit to any judge or court employee, or his or her family member. As a limited exception, a judge or court employee, or his or her family member, may receive de minimis personal benefit incidental to a proper expenditure from the attorney admission fund, (e.g., meals, refreshments or hospitality items).

2. Permissible Expenditures:

The Attorney Admission fund may be used for the following a. Attorney admissions proceedings, including expenses of admissions committees and admissions ceremonies.

b. Attorney disciplinary proceedings, including expenses of investigating counsel for disciplinary enforcement, travel expenses, and witness fees in disciplinary proceedings.

c. Attorney amenities, such as internet and telephone service, furnishings, equipment, appliances, and similar supplies and materials for use by attorneys while in the courthouse.

d. Legal services for indigent pro se civil litigants, reimbursement of fees (attorney and witness), and expenses for representation of indigent pro se civil litigants when appointed by the court, including appointments for limited purposes, such as settlement conferences. In the event of an award of attorney's fees or costs to pro bono counsel in the course of such litigation, the court may order return to the Fund of any payments made from the Fund to counsel for fees and expenses.

e. Continuing Legal Education, including expenses, such as travel costs for presenters who are not federal judges or court employees, for court-related and continuing legal educational programs and conferences for members of the bar, their support staff, the CJA Panel, law clerks, law students, or members of the public.

f. Court Ceremonies, including expenses for ceremonies for investitures, memorial or historical events, portrait hangings and reentry program graduations.

g. Projects, Programs, Meetings and Conferences, including expenses for awards, supplies and publications for legal education and community outreach programs, bench and bar meetings and settlement conferences.

h. Hospitality items (e.g., food, beverages, mementos) for the ceremonies, programs, meetings, conferences and other events described in this section and for which appropriated funds may not be used, including refreshments and meals for judges and employees attending a bench/bar meeting or similar event at their official duty station in a non-official capacity.

i. Juror Expenditures, including the purchase of items, which cannot be purchased with appropriated funds, for the comfort and convenience of jurors, including reimbursement to jurors for lost or damaged personal property incident to their jury service, when compensation is not available under a statute such as the Federal Tort Claims Act.

j. Cash Donations to law-related educational or charitable organizations, such as the Pacific Judicial Council, historical societies, schools, or bar associations, for purposes that advance the administration of justice in the courts.

k. Attorney Awards, including non-cash awards and commendations for members of the bar.

l. Portraits, including paintings or photographs of individual judges or court employees for display in the courthouse.

m. Books, periodicals and other resource materials for court libraries, notwithstanding the rule against augmentation. This exception was recognized by the General Accounting Office (now Government Accountability Office (GAO)).

n. Lawyer Representative Reimbursement for expenses incurred to participate in circuit meetings and conferences, such reimbursement may follow court employee travel guidelines.

o. Surety bond for the custodian of the fund. The bond may only cover monies in the fund.

p. Auditing Fees for services rendered by outside auditors or accountants in auditing the fund.

q. Other Authorized Purpose, any other purpose for which appropriated funds may not legally be used that will benefit the bench and the bar in the administration of justice.