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The Probate Division's policies for Court-Appointed Counsel Panel appointments: hourly rates ($165 when the client cannot pay; up to $380 when the client can); hour limits for guardianship and conservatorship appointments and reappointments; PACE compensation; notice at $150,000 (or $200,000 combined with minor's counsel) in a fiscal year; requests for additional compensation (LASC PRO-025); and fee status at every hearing. Effective July 1, 2025; supersedes 2024-SJ-004-00.
California > Second Appellate District > Los Angeles County > Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles > Probate
2025-SJ-006-00 [File stamp: FILED, Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, JUL 24 2025, David W. Slayton, Executive Officer/Clerk of Court, By: A. Esparza, Deputy] SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES IN RE COURT-APPOINTED COUNSEL IN THE PROBATE DIVISION OF THE LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT [PROBATE CODE SECTIONS 1470 AND 1471] STANDING ORDER RE PROBATE DIVISION’S COURT-APPOINTED COUNSEL A courtwide policy has been established to ensure that available resources are allocated in a manner that promotes access to justice for all members of the public, provides a forum for the fair and expeditious resolution of disputes, maximizes the use of available resources, and carries out the direction of the Legislature that courts adopt cost-effective plans for the appointment of publicly compensated counsel. [See Cal. Rules of Court, Rule 7.1101, and Pen. Code sec. 987.2] Pursuant to the responsibility of the Presiding Judge through California Rule of Court, Rule 7.1101 to establish courtwide policy in this regard, the authority for establishing this court-wide policy has been delegated to the Supervising Judge of the Probate and Mental Health Divisions pursuant to California Rule of Court, Rule 7.1101. The Probate Code requires the appointment of counsel for a proposed conservatee under certain circumstances. [Prob. Code sec. 1471.] In other cases, the Court may appoint counsel where the proposed conservatee is not otherwise represented by counsel and the appointment of counsel would be helpful to the resolution of the matter or is necessary to protect the proposed conservatee’s interests [Prob. Code sec. 1470(a).] In guardianship proceedings, the Probate Code provides that the Court may appoint counsel for a proposed ward if the proposed ward is not otherwise represented by counsel and the appointment of counsel would be helpful to the resolution of the matter or is necessary to protect the proposed ward’s interests. [Prob. Code sec. 1470(a).] As a condition of accepting or continuing any Court-Appointed Counsel Panel appointment to represent a conservatee, proposed conservatee, proposed ward, ward or other individual, counsel must agree to the policies set forth in this order as follows: 1. The hourly rate for cases in which the Court determines that the adult client or his/her estate, or a minor client’s parent(s) or the minor’s estate, has no ability to pay, shall not exceed $165. The $165-per-hour rate is applicable to work performed on or after July 1, 2024. 2. The hourly rate for cases in which the Court determines that the adult client or his/her estate, or a minor client’s parent(s) or the minor’s estate, has sufficient assets to pay, shall not exceed $380, except in cases involving unusual problems requiring extraordinary expertise. 3. Except as otherwise authorized by the Court, services for court-appointed attorneys related to a petition for appointment of a guardianship shall not exceed 12 hours. 4. Except as otherwise authorized by the Court, services for court-appointed attorneys related to a petition for appointment of a limited conservatorship shall not exceed 12 hours. Except as otherwise authorized by the Court, services for court-appointed attorneys related to a petition for appointment of a general conservatorship shall not exceed 12 hours for appointments and 10 hours for reappointments. 5. On cases in which the Court has determined that the adult client or his/her estate, or a minor client’s parent(s) or the minor’s estate, has no ability to pay his/her counsel and the County of Los Angeles is ordered to pay for such services. court-appointed attorneys shall be compensated through the Professional Appointee Court Expense, herein referred to as PACE, program. a. If payment is requested by any counsel who has received compensation for Probate Code 1470 and 1471 appointments (including reappointments) in an amount of more than $150,000 for any fiscal year (July 1 to June 30), PACE will notify the Supervising Judge of the Probate and Mental Health Divisions. b. If payment is requested by any counsel who has received combined compensation for (1) Probate Code 1470 and 1471 appointments (including reappointments) and (2) Family Code section 3153(b) (minor’s counsel) in an amount of more than $200,000 for any fiscal year (July 1 to June 30), PACE will notify the Supervising Judge of the Probate and Mental Health Divisions. c. Requests for additional compensation by court-appointed counsel shall be submitted in writing and must include the total amount previously approved for the attorney on the case, as well as establish good cause for the additional compensation. The Court may award additional compensation upon competent evidence of good cause. Requests for additional fees and costs shall be made on the Request by Court-Appointed Counsel or Expert for Payment of or Authorization for Additional Time or Expenses form (LASC PRO-025). d. It is the responsibility of court-appointed counsel to fully apprise the Court at every hearing of the status of all fees incurred. Failure to do so may impact the amount of the fee awarded. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that this Standing Order supersedes order number 2024-SJ-004-00, is effective July 1, 2025, and is to remain in effect until otherwise ordered by the Probate and Mental Health Supervising Judge and/or Presiding Judge. DATED: 7/24/2025 BRENDA PENNY Supervising Judge, Probate and Mental Health Divisions STANDING ORDER RE PROBATE DIVISION’S COURT-APPOINTED COUNSEL PANEL [The date is handwritten.]
2025-SJ-006-00 [File stamp: FILED, Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, JUL 24 2025, David W. Slayton, Executive Officer/Clerk of Court, By: A. Esparza, Deputy] SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES IN RE COURT-APPOINTED COUNSEL IN THE PROBATE DIVISION OF THE LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT [PROBATE CODE SECTIONS 1470 AND 1471] STANDING ORDER RE PROBATE
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-09-29 (California T3 Los Angeles build 2026-09-29) from BenchPath custody ca/t3/ca-los-angeles/general-orders/LIBOPSProbate-37-StandingOrderReProbateDivisionsCourtAppointedCounselPanelProbateCodeSections1470-1471.pdf (92477 bytes, sha256 92f58608b20c318e234048e1c14e8c046f96b65a7c3a484c1ffe661692eb10a7; 3 pages) - the court's own posted PDF, a page scan: transcribed by eye from the rendered page images (200 dpi), every page read against the image; a local machine reading (RapidOCR) served only as a second reader, every six-word window of the transcription looked up in it and every miss checked on the page; the clerk's file stamp in one bracketed line, handwritten or stamped fills in place with a bracketed note, a running footer transcribed once, pleading line numbers and fill marks omitted; a signature itself is not transcribed.
Standing order of the 109th Judicial District Court for every pending or later-filed case in Andrews, Winkler and Crane Counties: any attorney or self-represented litigant who uses any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in a case must, before using AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the court's certification form stating that all language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative AI were verified as accurate by a human through traditional (non-AI) legal sources, and acknowledging responsibility and potential sanctions for their or their co-counsel's failure to comply. Effective immediately; in effect until rescinded or replaced.
Standing order of the 109th Judicial District Court for every pending or later-filed case in Andrews, Winkler and Crane Counties: any attorney or self-represented litigant who uses any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in a case must, before using AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the court's certification form stating that all language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative AI were verified as accurate by a human through traditional (non-AI) legal sources, and acknowledging responsibility and potential sanctions for their or their co-counsel's failure to comply. Effective immediately; in effect until rescinded or replaced.