The State Bar of California recently launched its new cloud-based Admissions Applicant Portal. The Applicant Portal allows certified specialists the ability to submit recertification applications, request related services, recertify, and report Legal Specialist Continuing Legal Education (LSCLE) compliance.
Maintaining certification shows the public that an attorney’s knowledge and skills are current. Although current specialists do not need to take the legal specialist examination again, all specialists must meet ongoing maintenance requirements as follows:
Please note that all notifications regarding the Legal Specialization program are sent electronically to the email address of record in the Applicant Portal.
Please also note that emails will come from legal.specialization@calbar.ca.gov or legalspec@calbar.ca.gov, and may go to your spam/junk folder. However, although courtesy reminders may be sent, it is the specialist’s obligation to calendar and meet the maintenance requirements for certification as noted above.
For reference, in the Applicant Portal you may access specific information regarding your certification record, which includes Initial Certification dates, current certification terms, and LSCLE Compliance dates. You can find this information by going to Specialization Certifications after successfully logging into the Applicant Portal.
Specialists must report compliance of the LSCLE requirement every three years. This is due at the same time as your general MCLE compliance group, however, the two are reported separately and in different methods. Specialists will report general MCLE compliance online through their My State Bar Profile, and report LSCLE compliance online in the Applicant Portal or by submitting a physical LSCLE Compliance Card.
Please see the MCLE Requirements for Certified Specialists for information on reporting compliance with the LSCLE requirement.
In recertifying, specialists report compliance with the task and experience requirements, as well as submit and receive favorable references. You may file your application for recertification on or no earlier than six months before the end of your current five-year certification period. In the Applicant Portal, you can start an application, which will allow you to track your task and experience before you are due to recertify.
Recertification applications are available in the Applicant Portal for the following specialty areas:
Alternatively, fillable PDF applications are available on the forms page.
Department of Legal Specialization
State Bar of California 180 Howard Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Phone: 415-538-2120 Fax: 415-538-2180 legalspec@calbar.ca.gov