Did you know that the State Bar of California is the largest in the nation? Or that we are California’s largest legal aid funder? Our offices, listed below, provide many opportunities to innovate in how we serve Californians.
“I believe our leadership is deeply attuned to the challenges the public and the industry are facing and works wholeheartedly to find out-of-the box solutions and more efficient ways to operate. It also values diversity greatly. I feel fortunate to be part of such a dedicated team of forward-looking professionals who strive to serve the public daily.”
– Director General Services
Click the office name below to learn more about how each unit contributes to the State Bar's mission:
Admissions
Carries out all activities that enable the California Supreme Court to grant licenses to newly qualified entrants to California's legal profession. The office develops, administers, and grades the California Bar Exam and the First-Year Law Students’ Exam and conducts moral character investigations of all applicants. The office is also responsible for California's uniquely diverse pathways to the law. It supports the Committee of Bar Examiners in accrediting California-accredited law schools and registering unaccredited law schools. It also administers programs that allow lawyers licensed in other jurisdictions or law students to practice in certain defined, limited areas, as well as programs to certify specialists in 13 areas of legal practice. In 2020, the office developed a new program for the provisional licensure of recent law graduates and others.