Panel Attorney Onboarding Kit (staging preview)

A sequenced orientation for newly active and newly accepted California BPH panel attorneys.

Last verified: 2026-07-17. Verify against current BPH publications before relying on this guide or filing an invoice.

K0 — What this is, what it is not, and how to use it

This is a practical orientation to the first active-panel cycle: establish the required operating base, open each assignment in sequence, protect the deadline ladder, and file the first invoice through the current channel. It organizes the Panel Attorney Program Guide (rev 8-22-24; verify against current BPH publications; Last verified: 2026-07-17), official BPH pages, and the listed source materials; it does not replace any of them.

It is not legal advice, a substitute for the Guide or PJW curriculum, a case-management system, or a repository for client information. It has no email wall and asks for no client data.

Read K1 before accepting active work; complete K2 before the first panel week; use K3 for every assignment batch; maintain K4; then use K5 for each completed case. K10 is the printable one-page reference.

Source: Panel Attorney Program Guide (rev 8-22-24; verify against current BPH publications; Last verified: 2026-07-17); application and expectations; attorney overview.

K1 — The Gate (Tier 0)

Professional status and entry prerequisites

• Maintain an active California law license and good standing. Guide A1–A2; CRC Rule 9.9.5.
• Maintain malpractice insurance. Guide A3.
• Maintain symptom-free tuberculin evaluation documentation within the required period. Guide A4.
• Be able to pass institution security screening and meet institutional dress requirements. Guide A5–A6.
• Complete the annual Panel Attorney Information and Certification Form. Guide A7.
• Have recent parole-suitability representation experience or have observed ≥ 3 parole hearings before accepting active assignments. Guide A12.
• A standby attorney moving to active has one month to meet active qualifications and training requirements. Guide B1–B2; Guide C1.

Attorney-maintained operating accounts and equipment

• Open and maintain a DECS account and the required hardware/software at attorney expense. Guide A8–A9.
• Register for BlackBerry Workspaces (formerly WatchDox), or a Board-equivalent secure file share, and verify access to Board-provided material. Guide A11.
• Maintain webcam capabilities at attorney expense. Guide A10.

These are attorney-maintained systems. This kit does not connect to, synchronize with, or handle either system.

Training and state payee setup

• Complete all required Board/designee training sessions. Guide C1. PJW attorney trainings are mandatory for all active state-appointed panel attorneys (per the live PJW pages; verified 2026-07-17).
• Review the panel-training page and the PJW attorney resources: attorney education and attorney trainings. Registered attorneys log in to the PJW Attorney Portal for trainings and resources. PJW page access can be intermittent; confirm current requirements when you enroll.
• For first-time payee setup, use the STD 204 Payee Data Record and the current invoicing-page materials. Confirm the Accounting contact: BPHAccountingLiaison@cdcr.ca.gov. (As of 2026-07-17, the invoicing page’s separate Supplement Vendor payee link is broken — ask Accounting directly if that form applies to you.)
• Keep a valid government photo ID and current California State Bar card with the physical entry kit. Guide D24.

Authority: Guide A1–A12, B1–B2, C1; invoicing; panel training.

K2 — Your Operating Stack (Tier 1)

Contacts to save

Working materials and calendar

• Keep the current invoice forms and relevant BPH forms accessible offline; the current source pages are invoicing and forms. For revisions, use K5’s confirm-before-file rule.
• Use PDF tooling appropriate for reading, annotating, and completing official forms. Board-provided material remains within the representation. Guide Confidentiality Agreement.
• Track acceptance, C-file/initial-visit, second-visit, visit-record, hearing, and invoice deadlines against the cited Guide rules in K3 and K4.
• For public operational information, keep hearing schedule, hearing results, transcript request, ADA resources, CIRIS, and litigation coordinators available.
• Keep legal mail, confidential phone/video, and in-person visit channels distinct from Securus/tablet messaging. Securus/tablet messaging is non-confidential and is not a channel for privileged substance.
• Keep the Guide PDF, UnCommon Law resources, and Prison Law Office handbook in the knowledge stack.

Authority: Guide A8–A11, D1–D26, Confidentiality Agreement; BPH pages linked above.

K3 — First-Week Rituals (Tier 2)

Use this sequence for each new assignment batch. It is a logistics checklist, not hearing strategy.

1. [ ] Record the assignment response deadline: accept or decline within ≤ 3 business days of the offer. Guide E4.
2. [ ] Calendar the initial C-file review and legal visit within ≤ 30 calendar days of acceptance. Guide D2.
3. [ ] Review the Board-provided hearing file through the attorney’s Workspaces access. Guide A11; Guide D1.
4. [ ] Review DECS information for DNV/DPV/DPH and effective-communication needs before each visit. Guide D8–D10.
5. [ ] Use CIRIS to confirm housing and identify the institution’s litigation coordinator. (Operational sequencing from the onboarding checklist, not a Guide mandate.)
6. [ ] Complete the initial C-file review and first legal visit; the first or second visit is in person if possible. Guide D1–D2.
7. [ ] Record the required DECS Source Document within ≤ 7 days (≤1 week) after each visit and before hearing. Guide D11.
8. [ ] Calendar the second visit for the LATER OF (hearing − 60 days) OR (CRA finalization + 2 weeks). Guide D3; 15 CCR 2240.
9. [ ] For DNV/DPV/DPH, plan ≥ 4 legal visits or reasonable attempts before hearing. Guide DNV/DPV/DPH Addenda.
10. [ ] Identify interpreter or caption logistics early; use BPHLiferAnalyst@cdcr.ca.gov for logistics barriers. Guide D12–D13; Guide D18.

Guardrail: do not use Securus/tablet messaging for privileged discussion. Source: onboarding checklist Tier 2; Guide D1–D18.

K4 — Recurring Compliance (Tier 3)

Do not substitute another attorney for an assigned client. Guide E6.

K5 — First-Invoice Walkthrough

First: the channel-trust rule

Before each submission cycle, confirm the current invoice revision through both BPHAccountingLiaison@cdcr.ca.gov and https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/bph/invoicing/. The web can update first; the two channels can briefly differ. Confirm each submission cycle, and when the web and email disagree or there is uncertainty, ask Accounting before filing. Do not rely on a printed revision date, including this kit’s, as gospel.

Form selection and current build-time-verify references

The revisions in this table apply only to cases accepted on or after June 29, 2026 (the invoicing page states this gate for both current forms). For a case accepted before June 29, 2026, do not use this table — use the revision in force at your acceptance date and confirm it with Accounting first.

For an older acceptance, use the revision and rate in force at acceptance and confirm with Accounting. Legacy BPH 1076 rev 1-17-2025 / rev 8-2023 is historical backfill only, never for new acceptances — these legacy revisions are no longer published on the invoicing page; confirm before filing and verify against current BPH publications; Last verified: 2026-07-17.

Rate and completion reference

For a completed case, scan one invoice per client and email it to BPHAccountingLiaison@cdcr.ca.gov. Submit after completing all hearing-related work, with a target of ≤ 30 days after case completion. State processing is ≤ 45 days from receipt if undisputed. Travel/mileage/per diem and DECS/Workspaces/webcam are attorney expenses, not compensable.

What the program pays: the program’s payment reference is the fixed-fee and discretionary pro-rate table above, subject to the listed acceptance-era conditions, completion requirements, form selection, and current BPH instructions. It is not an earnings estimate.

Preflight before sending

• Confirm the current form revision and acceptance-era selection through the channel-trust rule above.
• Confirm dates, initials, visit hours, DECS entry dates, completion status, and the rate/form pairing.
• Keep one client per invoice and do not send a premature invoice.

Authority: BPH invoicing; Guide Payment §; B03 billing mechanics. The cited form references are build-time-verify values, not a promise of future form currency.

Companion: Open the fee/pro-rate calculator. It is a separate static reference; it does not prepare or submit an invoice.

K6 — Training Pathway (PJW)

The Board’s panel-training page identifies Parole Justice Works in the training pathway. Complete the required Board/designee training for active status. Guide C1.

Use the PJW attorney education and attorney trainings pages to reach the Attorney Portal. PJW attorney trainings are mandatory for all active state-appointed panel attorneys; registered attorneys log in to the portal for trainings and resources. Each training offers a “test” option and a “reference” option — complete the test version when you need to certify completion with BPH or claim MCLE credit (each training is MCLE-eligible; the reference version does not certify). Verified against the live PJW pages; Last verified: 2026-07-17. PJW page access can be intermittent — confirm current requirements when you enroll. No affiliation with, or endorsement by, BPH, CDCR, or PJW is claimed.

K7 — First-Hearing-Week Logistics

• Plan to physically appear with the client, subject to the Guide’s stated exceptions; arrive 30–60 minutes early and prearrange the meeting. Guide D19.
• Carry valid government ID and a current CA Bar card. Guide D24. Remain available the entire hearing day. Guide D22.
• The attorney-presence exceptions and non-waivable categories are stated in Guide D20 and Armstrong v. Newsom, N.D. Cal. No. 94-cv-02307-CW; for the listed MHSDS EOP/MHCB/ICF/ACF, DDP, and learning-disability/reading ≤ 4.0 categories, consult the primary authorities.
• The Board sets in-person versus VC under 15 CCR 2050–2064. For a 15 CCR 2054 in-person hearing, an attorney may request VC ≥ 100 days prior under 15 CCR 2055. Guide D21.
• Escalate access, document, CRA, interpreter, or caption barriers immediately to BPHLiferAnalyst@cdcr.ca.gov. Guide D12–D13; Guide D18.

This section is logistics only; it offers no hearing strategy or outcome guidance.

Companion: Open the hearing-deadline calculator. It is a separate static reference; it does not change a Guide deadline.

K8 — Glossary

Family-register cross-reference (not part of the compliance path): “LO” is a family term for “loved one”; this attorney-facing kit uses attorney-register terms.

K9 — Companion Tools

• Fee/pro-rate calculator: a separate static reference for the K5 fee and pro-rate table.
• Hearing-deadline calculator: a separate static reference for the K3/K7 deadline ladder.

These links do not embed calculator logic, capture data, or replace the cited primary sources.

K10 — Quick-Reference Card (printable)

Contacts

BPH-AttorneyScheduling@cdcr.ca.gov · BPHLiferAnalyst@cdcr.ca.gov · (916) 445-4072 · BPHAccountingLiaison@cdcr.ca.gov · BPH.ADAUnit@cdcr.ca.gov · (279) 300-5755 / (279) 300-5720

Form / fee selection

Current revisions — for cases accepted on or after 6/29/2026 only: BPH 1076 rev 6-25-26 and BPH 1076(A) rev 7-13-26 (REV. 7-2026), per the invoicing page. Earlier acceptance → use the revision in force at acceptance; confirm with Accounting. Confirm before filing and verify against current BPH publications; Last verified: 2026-07-17. Use BPH 1076-OMHD for an OMHD proceeding; verify current before filing.

Deadline ladder

Not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-07-17. Verify against current BPH publications before use or filing.

K11 — Sources and verification note

Primary-source links

• Guide PDF
• Application / expectations
• Attorney overview
• Invoicing
• Panel training (PJW)
• Forms
• ADA resources
• Active attorneys
• Hearing schedule
• Hearing results
• Transcript request
• Orientation / scheduling deadlines
• CIRIS
• Litigation coordinators
• STD 204 Payee Data Record
• PJW attorney education — page access can be intermittent; verified 2026-07-17.
• PJW attorney trainings — page access can be intermittent; verified 2026-07-17.
• UnCommon Law resources
• Prison Law Office handbook

Verify before relying or filing

Last verified: 2026-07-17. Verify against current BPH publications. Before each invoice cycle, confirm the current revision through BPHAccountingLiaison@cdcr.ca.gov and https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/bph/invoicing/; the web can update first. Remember the form-applicability gate: the current revisions apply to cases accepted on or after June 29, 2026 — earlier acceptances use the revision in force at acceptance. Confirm before filing when the channels differ or there is uncertainty. Recheck rates, contacts, deadline rules, Guide revision, and PJW details against the current primary sources.

Not legal advice. This orientation is attorney-facing and does not replace professional judgment, the controlling Guide, forms, or current BPH instructions.

Citation register

Guide (rev 8-22-24) sections: A1–A12, B1–B2, C1, D1–D26, E1–E8, Confidentiality Agreement · 15 CCR 2240, 15 CCR 2050–2064, 15 CCR 2054, 15 CCR 2055, 15 CCR 2256 · CRC Rule 9.9.5 · CRPC 1.1, CRPC 1.6, CRPC 7.1–7.3 · Pen. Code 3041.1, Pen. Code 3041.2 · Armstrong v. Newsom, N.D. Cal. No. 94-cv-02307-CW · In re Shaputis. Verify against current BPH publications; Last verified: 2026-07-17.