The State Bar is closely monitoring and responding to the evolving COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation and its potential impact on our services to the public, licensees, and applicants, as well as the health and safety of our staff.
State Bar Offices
Effective June 15, the State Bar’s offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles will resume full operations, open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
With guidance from the appropriate public health agencies, the following measures will be used for the safety of the public and our staff:
COVID-19 Fraud Alert
California Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response
California Judicial Branch COVID-19 Updates
California Guidelines: Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers
California Lawyers Association Resources for Attorneys
Law Firms Affected By Natural Disaster or Catastrophic Event
American Bar Association Mental Health Resources for Attorneys
The ABA Coronavirus (COVID-19) Task Force
Telephone Resource Center and Intake Hotline
The Telephone Resource Center continues to work remotely, but on reduced staffing. Inquiries from the public, licensees, and admissions applicants can best be handled by email. Admissions applicants, please see below for any updates regarding the June 23 First-Year Law Students' Exam and the fall Bar Exam.
Please check our Contact Us webpage for the best email for your inquiry.
The State Bar’s online self-service tools, such as the Applicant Portal for admissions applicants, and My State Bar Profile for licensees, will also save time on routine transactions.
Bar Examinations
The California Supreme Court on June 10 issued a letter updating its April 27 guidance regarding the fall California Bar Exam. The Court “will consider moving the exam to October 5-6, 2020 after the State Bar assesses its online administration of the First-Year Law Students’ Examination on June 23 and the feasibility of upscaling that administration to the full exam in the fall.” Given the Court’s notice, the Office of Admissions will not change any examination and corresponding deadline dates until a final determination has been made by the Court. Exam applicants are encouraged to continue studying with the September date in mind but are alerted about the possibility that these dates can change. We encourage applicants to check our website for updates. Registered applicants are advised to check the Applicant Portal for any changes and updates.
The State Bar’s May work plan for delivery of the First-Year Law Students' Exam and options for the fall bar exam both in-person and online is here. Information about refund policies related to the July Bar Exam postponement is available here.
Board and commission meetings
Until further notice, State Bar board and committee meetings will be conducted via teleconference and/or via Zoom technology. Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-25-20, which suspends certain provisions of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act during this period, shall guide the operations of those meetings.
State Bar Court
The State Bar Court filing window will be open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., effective June 15. The State Bar Court will continue to conduct proceedings remotely by video using Zoom technology, and has issued the following orders detailing the impacts on Court operations:
General Notice regarding court events GEN 20-03: Order re Electronic Signatures GEN 20-02: Order re Electronic Submissions
The State Bar Court has also issued Frequently Asked Questions regarding the recently issued orders.
Rule and Deadline Changes: Electronic Service; MCLE; Late Payment of License Fees; Law Corporation Renewals
On April 16, the Board of Trustees approved a set of deadline extensions, waivers, and rule changes as emergency interim measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID‐19 emergency on licensees, program participants, members of the public, and State Bar staff. This news release summarizes the changes. The full text of the approved resolutions by the Board is here.
At its May 14, 2020 meeting, the Board of Trustees approved to extend the Fingerprinting Rule requirement deadline from June 30, 2020 to September 30, 2020, to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 emergency on licensees and Live Scan providers
Client Security Fund
The Fund is continuing essential business by mail and email. Please see this page for guidelines.
Service of Legal Process
Until further notice, the State Bar will accept electronic service of summons/complaints and subpoenas when the named party or witness is the State Bar or an official or employee of the State Bar in their official capacity.
We reserve the right to reject service of process where a defect in service is found. To arrange for electronic service of legal process, please contact Assistant General Counsel James Chang at 415-538-2381.
Lawyer Assistance Program
The State Bar is making every effort to continue activities of the Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) under the COVID-19 guidelines. All LAP groups have transitioned to online “virtual” groups.
Ethics Hotline for Attorneys
Ethics research assistance is available from the Ethics Hotline. Attorneys can request a call by using the online contact form.
Classes and events
Due to social distancing guidelines and directives discouraging large-scale gatherings, we are looking into providing online alternatives for large-scale classes and events. Those that cannot be delivered online will be postponed or canceled. If you have questions about a particular class or event, please email the office through which you registered. Currently canceled: