Law Corporations
Professional corporations practicing law in California are required to be registered with the State Bar of California in accordance with statutory requirements and the State Bar’s Law Corporation Rules and Regulations.
Initial Certificate of Registration application
Law Corporations seeking an initial Certificate of Registration must submit a new application online through the State Bar’s Agency Billing system.
The process for submitting a new application and an annual renewal is similar. Both require completing the application online through the State Bar’s Agency Billing system and submitting the required payment electronically. Older versions of applications are not accepted, and all fees are listed in the Schedule of Charges and Deadlines.
Review the Agency Billing Help Guide for step-by-step instructions on accessing and navigating the online system. For detailed steps on submitting a new application, please refer to the Law Corporation Help Guides. If further assistance is needed, please complete a Licensee Records and Compliance Inquiry form.
Annual renewal
Law Corporations (LCs) registered with the State Bar are required to submit an annual renewal application to maintain their certificate of registration.
Annual renewal applications must be submitted online. Renewal submissions using paper forms from prior years will not be accepted. To submit an online renewal application, the LC must be registered in the State Bar’s Agency Billing system. If an account already exists, do not create a duplicate. Creating duplicate Agency Billing firm accounts is likely to cause confusion when firms attempt to log in—especially when resetting passwords or trying to remember which account was used to submit a renewal application.
The 2025 LC renewal deadline was extended to January 30, 2026, and the 2025 LC suspension deadline was extended to May 29, 2026. As a result, even if the LC completed the 2025 annual renewal as recently as May 2026, each LC must complete the annual 2026 LC renewal application by the August 31, 2026, deadline.
2025 Renewal Cycle:
- Late Penalty - The State Bar has assessed a late penalty fee to firms that failed to submit the 2025 renewal application by the January 30, 2026, deadline.
- Suspensions - The May 29, 2026, suspension deadline has passed and LCs that did not successfully renew registration by the May 29, 2026, date, are subject to suspension. The 2025 renewal cycle closes on July 30, 2026.
- Reinstatement –
- To be reinstated prior to July 30, 2026, suspended LCs must submit a 2025 renewal application and payment before July 30, 2026.
- To be reinstated after July 30, 2026, suspended LCs must submit a 2026 renewal application, along with payment of any outstanding 2025 fees and the 2026 renewal fees.
2026 Renewal Cycle
- The 2026 LC Renewal cycle will begin August 1, 2026.
- All registered LCs, except Newly Registered LCs (see below), are required to renew their registration with the State Bar of California in the 2026 renewal cycle, regardless of when the 2025 renewal application was submitted or approved.
- The deadline for submitting a 2026 renewal application without a late penalty will be August 31, 2026.
- A late penalty fee will be assessed to firms that fail to submit the 2026 renewal application by the August 31, 2026, deadline. To avoid suspension, both the renewal application and payment must be submitted before October 2, 2026.
Newly Registered LCs:
- New LCs (registered for the first time with the State Bar of California on and after May 29, 2026) are not required to renew their registration in the 2026 renewal cycle.
Renewal help guides
Review the Agency Billing Help Guide for step-by-step instructions on accessing and navigating the online Agency Billing application. For detailed steps on submitting an online renewal application, please refer to the Law Corporation Help Guides. If there are questions after reviewing the guides, please complete the Licensee Records and Compliance Inquiry form.
2026 fee increases
On November 20, 2025, the Board of Trustees approved several administrative fee increases that were subject to the 2026 Consumer Price Index increases. These increases ensure that the State Bar’s overall administrative revenue covers the rising costs of services.
Here are the 2026 fees for LCs:
| Fee Type | Amount |
| Initial Certificate of Registration Application | $265 |
| Annual Renewal | $106 |
| Late Fee Penalty | $117 |
Guarantee modifications
The State Bar has revised the guarantee requirements to back out the CPI increase that was applied last year. Guarantee amounts for law corporations ensure security for claims and align with the 2026 Schedule of Charges and Deadlines.
Here are the current guarantee requirements for law corporations:
| Guarantee Type | Amount per Claim | Amount per Calendar Year | Maximum per Claim | Maximum per Calendar Year |
| Law Corporation Guarantee as security for claims | $50,000 | $100,000 per attorney | $500,000 | $5,000,000 |
| Certificate of annual insurance of nonprofit public benefit corporation as security for claims | $50,000 | $100,000 per attorney | $500,000 | $5,000,000 |
| Certificate of insurance of law corporations incorporated before October 27, 1971, as security for claims | $50,000 | $100,000 per attorney | $500,000 | $5,000,000 |
Name changes
Under Rule 3.154(B), a Law Corporation may practice law only under the name registered with the Secretary of State and approved by the State Bar. The use of the name must comply with the requirements of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Name changes must be reported promptly and submitted through the Agency Billing online application with updated, certified Articles of Incorporation. Corporations formed outside California must include Certificate of Status of Foreign Corporation. There is no processing fee to submit a name change.
Law Corporation names and abbreviations
The name of a Law Corporation must comply with the following requirements to maintain its certificate of registration with the State Bar of California. In compliance with California Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1(a), which states: “A lawyer shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer’s services. A communication is false or misleading if it contains a material misrepresentation of fact or law or omits a fact necessary to make the communication considered as a whole not materially misleading,” law corporations should ensure that their naming conventions meet all requirements when listing groups, associates, and office locations.
Group
To justify the use of the word “Group” in a Law Corporation name the firm must name at least one other individual employed by the corporation. This person does not need to be an attorney.
Offices
Including the term “Offices” implies that the law corporation has more than one address or more than one attorney, including the shareholder at the address of record for the corporation.
- This term should not be used unless this arrangement is accurate.
- The Law Corporation Program will accept a home address as the second office.
- The corporation must provide the State Bar with both addresses.
- Public Record - All addresses provided (including a home address used as a second office) are public records and may be released to the public under Rule 3.161 - State Bar records regarding the certification of a law corporation are public information, except for correspondence, internal memoranda, complaints, and any other document for which disclosure is prohibited by law.
Associate
Including the term “Associate” means an employee or fellow employee who is employed as a lawyer.
Associates
Including the term “Associates” implies that, in addition to the shareholder, the corporation must name at least two (2) other attorneys employed by the corporation.
Acceptable Corporate Ending Designations
A Law Corporation name must include an ending designation such as:
- A Professional Corporation
- A Professional Law Corporation
- Professional Corporation
- Professional Law Corporation
- Law Corporation
- APC, A.P.C., PC, P.C., Prof. Corp.
- A Professional Legal Corporation
- Professional Legal Corporation
- A Legal Corporation
- Inc., Incorporated, Corporation
- A California Professional Corporation
- L.C., Ltd., Limited, P.A., Professional Association
Corporate designations NOT allowed
- “APLC” & “PLC” are not permitted because in other states or foreign countries, these may suggest that the entity is “a Public Liability Company” or “Professional Legal Consultant,” which is misleading to the public.
- “LLC” is not permitted as a corporate designation. The State Bar does not certify an LLC within California for the purposes of practicing law, based on Corporate Code Section 17375 concerning Professional Corporations.