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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.
No. However, you can view the documents you have successfully uploaded to your case in the Applicant Portal. You will receive confirmation once staff reviews the information.
You must submit a Registration Application in addition to the Application for the Law Office Study Program, the required documentation, and the applicable fees in the Applicant Portal at least 30 days prior to beginning your legal studies in a law office or judge’s chamber. You will not receive credit for any study completed if the State Bar does not approve your applications.
Please do not submit the LOS application before you have found a qualified supervising attorney or judge.
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.
For more information, please complete the LAP/OPC Support Intake Form, give us a call (877-LAP-4HELP or 877-527-4435), or send an email to LAP@calbar.ca.gov. Contacting us is confidential.
Participation in self-help recovery groups is an essential element of recovery for many people. LAP groups are an important adjunct to the recovery process, rather than a substitute for participation in self-help programs.
LAP groups are supportive process groups that are facilitated by licensed mental health professionals. LAP groups differ from self-help groups by providing an individualized focus to the recovery process and more personalized support from the group, under the guidance of the group facilitator. Only law students, State Bar applicants, and attorneys are in the LAP groups. It is not open to the general public.
If you took the February bar exam, your results will be mailed to you in mid-May. If you took the July bar exam, your results will be mailed to you in mid-November. You can also check to see if your name is on the pass list available on the State Bar of California website. You will need your applicant and file numbers to log in and see your results. It will show only whether your name is on the pass list.
Generally, the State Bar will process your MJP application within 30 days of receipt if you submit a complete and accurate application.
Incomplete applications will take longer to process. If your application is deemed incomplete, you will have 60 days from the date you submitted your application to provide the missing information or documentation. If your application is not deemed complete within this period, your application will be abandoned without a refund of any fees paid.
All applicants requesting testing accommodations through the streamlined approval process must submit a complete Testing Accommodations Application through their Applicant Portal, certify they are currently experiencing the same functional limitations as when they took the high-stakes exam, and upload a copy of their accommodation verification letter. Please keep in mind that the testing accommodations application is a separate application from the bar exam application.
Certain prior accommodations will be approved by the State Bar without the need for further documentation if all the following are satisfied:
Make sure you complete all demographic information located in your Admissions Applicant Portal. To locate this section, go to My Profile at the top right corner and click on the Update the contact information link. Select the Edit button and scroll down to Demographic section.
If you have a pending request for testing accommodations, your Admittance Ticket will not be released until your testing accommodation case is concluded. If you launch or draft a testing accommodation case after a decision is sent to you, you will no longer have access to your Admittance Ticket. If you launched the testing accommodation in error or would no longer like to proceed with the submission, please contact testing.accommodations@calbar.ca.gov to have your application updated and your Admittance Ticket released.
In preparation for the PLP application opening on September 1, 2025, you are encouraged to:
• Submit an Application for Determination of Moral Character as soon as possible in the Applicant Portal if you do not have a valid positive moral character determination or a pending moral character application.
• Sign up for the MPRE or ensure you have a passing score on file with the State Bar Office of Admissions. Verify your MPRE status via the status screen in the Applicant Portal.
• Secure a California attorney who is willing to be your Supervising Lawyer and meets the requirements of rule 9.49.
By December 31, 2025, you must have a passing MPRE score on file and either a valid positive moral character determination, or an adverse moral character determination that is pending on administrative review by the Committee of Bar Examiners or on appeal in the State Bar Court. We recommend that you fulfill these requirements as soon as possible.
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