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No. Your certification is only valid for the period stated in your application. You must submit a new Application for the Certified Law Student Program in the Applicant Portal with the required documentation and fee.
You can participate in the program if you are currently enrolled in or have graduated from:
On the end date of your study session, the State Bar will send your supervisor an email asking about your progress over the last six-month study period. Your supervisor is required to attest whether you have demonstrated sufficient academic progress to continue to the next study session for each six-month period. If your supervisor does not provide a positive attestation or fails to provide one, your participation in the program will be terminated, unless the requirements of State Bar rule 4.29(N)(1)–(2) are met.
You will not receive credit for hours of study devoted to repetition of studies previously completed and you will lose credit for the entire six-month study session.
No, you cannot pause your studies during your six-month study period. A pause between sessions can take place; however, your participation in the LOS Program will be terminated if you fail to submit a semi-annual report within a year of your last semi-annual report. You will retain law study credit already received and recognized by the State Bar.
To receive credit for a six-month study period, applicants must study law under the supervision of their approved attorney or judge for at least 72 hours per month for six consecutive months, lasting at least 24 weeks and no longer than 26 weeks, as well as submit a semi-annual report within 30 days of completion for each six-month period that conforms to the State Bar requirements.
The supervisor must supervise the applicant directly for at least 20 hours per month, either in person or remotely. At least 10 of those hours over each six-month period must be in person.
Applicants enrolled in both programs, along with their respective supervisors, are expected to take proactive steps to avoid or address any actual or potential conflicts of interest or ethical issues. This includes exercising good judgment in situations where their dual roles may overlap. For example, an applicant who studies in the Law Office Study Program under the supervision of a judge should avoid appearing before that same judge when representing a client in the Certified Law Student Program.
An applicant becomes eligible to take the FYLSX after completion of their first year of law study. If your second session, which completes the first year, ends prior to the final eligibility deadline for the current FYLSX, you are strongly encouraged to apply for the FYLSX, as it will be considered your first eligible administration in the calculation of your legal study credit.
The final eligibility deadline is two weeks prior to the exam. All deadlines for the FYLSX can be found on our First-Year Law Students’ Examination webpage.
All students in the LOS Program are required to take and pass the FYLSX after completing their first year of study, unless you establish an exemption, as specified in rule 4.55(A) of the Rules of the State Bar.
You must take and pass the FYLSX within the first three consecutive administrations of first becoming eligible to receive credit for your law study completed to date. If you fail to take or pass it after the first three consecutive administrations of first becoming eligible to take the exam, upon passage, you will only receive credit for your first year of legal studies.
If you completed law study at an accredited or registered law school prior to beginning the LOS Program, you are required to provide official, sealed law school transcripts. The Office of Admissions will evaluate your prior completed law study to determine if you are exempt from the FYLSX. In addition, the Office of Admissions will advise how much credit has been recognized for the prior law school study and let you know how much more study you need to complete in the LOS Program to qualify for the California Bar Exam.
To resume study after you have been terminated from the LOS Program, you must submit a new Application for the Law Office Study Program, the required documentation, and the fee in the Applicant Portal 30 days prior to the date you plan on resuming your legal studies.
Contact the LAP office for details about the income eligibility requirements and the application process. Financial assistance can cover up to one year of LAP group fees and one year of lab testing fees.
For more information, see the LAP Growth Grant Criteria.
There is no set time for Support LAP. It is completely voluntary. Participants can enroll, withdraw, and re-enroll whenever they want to.
After submitting your completed membership enrollment card, allow one to two weeks for delivery, then check Attorney Search to confirm your enrollment and find your bar number. If you do not see your name on the State Bar website after two weeks from the date you submitted the card, call 888-800-3400 or email AttorneyRegulation@calbar.ca.gov.
No. Pursuant to rule 9.46 of the California Rules of Court and Title 3 Division 3 Chapter 1 Article 3 of the Rules of the State Bar, you must reside in California. As defined in rule 3.370(D), this means that you must live or be located in California on more than a temporary or transient basis.
You must submit a semi-annual report to the State Bar within 30 days after completion of each six-month period of study through the LOS Program. A semi-annual report submitted 31–60 days after completion of the six-month study period is subject to a late fee as set forth in the Schedule of Charges and Deadlines. Semi-annual reports submitted after 60 days will not be accepted nor receive credit.
Your participation in the LOS Program will be terminated if you fail to submit a semi-annual report within a year of your last provided semi-annual report.
You must submit your semi-annual reports through the Applicant Portal. To submit a semi-annual report (i.e., Law Office Study Session):
The cost is $275 per month, which is paid to the clinician who facilitates the group. Groups fees are assessed monthly, not on a week-to-week basis. Financial assistance is available for qualified participants.
LAP groups do not focus on the specific treatment of any diagnosis. A structured plan of support is beneficial in the recovery of a variety of problems.
Also, many LAP participants are recovering from both substance use and mental health issues. Feedback from LAP participants confirms that benefits are derived from the combined group meetings. The general public is not part of the LAP group meetings.
No. But all bar members, both inactive and active, must pay annual fees.
Your official date of admission is considered the day you take your oath. Your membership fees will be calculated based on that date, and you should be able to access a fee statement within 30 days. Your fees will be due 45 days from the day you get your invoice. More information concerning fees is available through the State Bar website. If you have additional questions about fees after reading the material on the website, contact Member Records at 888-800-3400.
Once your MJP application has been approved and the State Bar has issued you a certificate of registration, you may engage only in the activities permitted by the applicable rule of the California Rules of Court.
Once your MJP application has been approved, you may:
• RIHC: only provide legal services in California to the qualified institution that employs you. Upon submittal of a supplemental form, you may also provide pro bono legal services under the supervision of a California attorney for an eligible legal aid organization defined by rule 9.45(a)(1) of the California Rules of Court, or the qualifying institution that employs you.
• RLAA: under the supervision of a California attorney, provide legal services while working, with or without pay, at a qualified legal aid organization and only on behalf of its clients or customers. Practice under this rule is limited to a total of five years.
• RMSA: under the supervision of a California attorney, practice law in California in all forms of legal practice that are permissible for a licensed attorney of the State Bar of California. Practice under this rule is limited to a total of five years.
Once you become ineligible for the MJP Program, you must notify the State Bar within 30 days.
You must report the above information in the Applicant Portal by following the steps below or emailing mjp@calbar.ca.gov.
• Log in to the Applicant Portal.
• From the home page in the Applicant Portal
Items listed in the Admittance Ticket Bulletin are allowed without prior approval. The Admittance Ticket Bulletin can be found on the California Bar Exam webpage once logistics for the exam are confirmed. Items not listed in the bulletin will require approval through the testing accommodations process. If the bulletin is not yet available for the exam you intend to take, refer to the bulletin for the prior administration of the exam; however, please note that the bulletin is subject to change.
You are not permitted to have any extraneous or personal items (e.g., backpacks, purses, cell phones, etc.) in the exam room. Such items will not be allowed into the testing rooms and must be left outside of the secure testing area. Ensure all audible devices left outside or in the designated courtesy area are turned off.
Applicants who are eligible for the PLP as first-time takers were notified by the Office of Admissions in June 2025 via email.
You may also verify your eligibility via the status screen in the Applicant Portal. There are multiple PLP programs listed in your applicant portal. Make sure you are checking your eligibility for the PLP for first-time takers of the February bar exam, and not the expansion program also listed on the portal.
Yes. Applicants who are eligible for the PLP as first-time takers, similar to the PLLs who qualified to participate as 2020 graduates, must pass the bar exam and meet all other requirements for admission to practice law. Participation in the PLP for these cohorts is not a pathway to licensure; however, it does provide valuable real-world experience practicing law under the supervision of an experienced California attorney. In response to a prior survey, the vast majority (89%) of the PLLs agreed or strongly agreed that the program was valuable in preparing them for the practice of law.
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