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.
Effective June 15, the State Bar’s offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles resumed 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 are in use 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
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. 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.
Please see the Admissions webpage for updates regarding the February 2021 Bar Exam and the new provisional licensure program, which is scheduled to launch on November 17, 2020.
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.
The State Bar Court filing window is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 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.
The Fund is continuing essential business by mail and email. Please see this page for guidelines.
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.
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 research assistance is available from the Ethics Hotline. Attorneys can request a call by using the online contact form.
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: