After you select a CPA firm and the State Bar has assigned the compliance review engagement to the CPA firm, you will be contacted directly by the CPA firm, who may request additional records, ask clarifying questions, and coordinate with you for the remainder of the compliance review process. The State Bar will remain available to assist if needed.

Possibly. Uncompensated work with an LRS oversight panel may count toward the pro bono hours requirement if it enables the delivery of legal services at a charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental, or education organization in matters in furtherance of its organizational purposes as defined under Business and Professions Code section 6073.1(c)(1)(C). Licensees should use their best judgment when determining whether the work performed, particularly non-legal tasks, enables the direct provision of legal work to the indigent or other nonprofit organizations.

No. Comparable courses from other providers do not satisfy the NAT requirement.

You may receive MCLE credit for qualifying NAT course hours, as applicable, but outside MCLE courses cannot be substituted for the required State Bar NAT courses. 

You must complete NAT by the last day of the month of your one-year anniversary as a State Bar licensee. (Rule 2.141.)

For example, if you were admitted on October 15, your deadline is October 31 of the following year. If you have a question about your deadline, complete the Licensee Records and Compliance Inquiry form.

Mediations will take place by videoconference. Usually, the parties are in separate areas to start but may be brought together later in the process. The mediator will typically meet separately with one party, and then the other, to understand their perspectives and to identify areas of potential agreement. This “shuttle diplomacy” will take place until an agreement is reached, or until it is clear to the mediator that it is not possible for the parties to reach an agreement. If an agreement is reached, it will be memorialized in a writing called a settlement agreement.

You may be represented by an attorney, but it is not required. You can arrange for an interpreter to attend the mediation with you.

The mediation is confidential. This means that nothing said in a mediation can be used as evidence in any later proceeding by any party at the mediation.

You can email the State Bar and request a copy of your DOJ/FBI rejection notice. These notices include information on the reason why the DOJ and/or FBI rejected your fingerprints. The State Bar reviews each response and provides attorneys with a rejection email that summarizes the reason for the rejection and details the necessary steps to successfully resubmit fingerprints.

The IOLTA Program is a department within the State Bar of California that administers IOLTA accounts, as well as two other sources of funding for free civil legal aid to low-income and indigent people: the California Equal Access Fund and the Greg E. Knoll Justice Gap Fund.

The State Bar initiated the IOLTA Program due to the lack of resources available for indigent clients who are in need of civil legal services. The substantial amount of money the program generates makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of these people to get the legal help that they need every year.

A 21-member Legal Services Trust Fund Commission appointed by the State Bar's Board of Trustees and the Chief Justice (on behalf of the Judicial Council of California) oversees the Trust Fund Program. Two-thirds of the commission members are attorneys and one-third are public members.

At least two of the 21 members must be "indigent persons" as defined by law. Three judges serve as non-voting advisors to the commission.

The Commission determines the eligibility of programs applying for funding, reviews recipients' budgets for compliance with the law, and monitors and evaluates the activities of programs receiving Trust Fund Program grants.

Yes. You must enter each course included in the package into the online summary log and provide a copy of any proof of completion it may have included (for example, a log and witness statement, if the MCLE bundle include them.)

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.

No. A broad range of pro bono activities do not require direct, full representation, and/or court appearances. Many legal services and pro bono programs have volunteer opportunities at clinics and hotlines. Your only commitment is for the time spent at the clinic or covering the hotline. California courts allow unbundled (or limited scope) services, so that you can draft pleadings only or take on just a portion of the representation without committing to full representation.

The State Bar’s Office of Chief Trial Counsel handles complaints about unethical attorney conduct from several different sources, including clients, family and friends of clients, courts, opposing counsel, members of the public or other third parties, and anonymous submissions.

An inquiry is opened for every written communication that involves a complaint about an attorney’s conduct. After the inquiry is evaluated, the accused attorney may be diverted out of the system, or the inquiry may be closed.

If it appears that the attorney may be a repeat offender or may have committed a violation where there is a serious likelihood of discipline being imposed, an investigator and a State Bar prosecutor take responsibility for the investigation.

The accused attorney is given an opportunity to respond, witnesses are contacted, and documents are reviewed. At the investigation’s conclusion, the State Bar decides whether to:

• Dismiss the complaint,
• Impose an informal confidential resolution, or
• File disciplinary charges.

The Notice of Disciplinary Charges is filed in State Bar Court, where it is assigned to a hearing judge. The accused attorney then must file an answer or risk a default judgment or involuntary enrollment as an inactive bar member.

If a settlement cannot be reached, the case goes to trial in State Bar Court. After the trial, the hearing judge issues a written decision. Either side may appeal the decision to the State Bar Court’s Review Department.

The California Supreme Court is the final arbiter in attorney discipline cases.

Fees are listed in the Schedule of Charges and Deadlines.

Applications are available in the Applicant Portal. You must create an account using your name, email address, and password to gain access to the Applicant Portal.

No. Once you have submitted your fingerprints through a Live Scan vendor and received an ATI number, you should retain a copy of the Live Scan form for your records.

Upon submission of the ATI number on the Proof of Live Scan Submission page, the fingerprinting requirements status will be updated.

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.

Very often, the amount of money a lawyer handles for a single client is quite small, or will be held for such a short period of time that it cannot earn net income for the client.

When these small or short-term funds belonging to clients are placed in a single, interest- or dividend-bearing trust account, the funds collectively earn interest that the financial institution forwards to the State Bar of California to support nonprofit legal aid organizations that provide civil legal aid to indigent and low-income people, seniors and persons with disabilities.

Business and Professions Code Sections 6091.2, 6211, 6212, 6213 require that financial institutions that choose to participate in the IOLTA program offer comparable bank investment products to their IOLTA customers as they do to their similarly situated customers. If a financial institution does not meet this requirement, then attorneys are not allowed to hold their IOLTA at that financial institution.  

Helps California attorneys practice law ethically. The office develops and maintains resources that facilitate compliance with duties, such as an online Client Trust Accounting Handbook. The office administers a telephone legal ethics research assistance program for attorneys called the Ethics Hotline and conducts preventative education and outreach. The office also supports key committees and working groups that provide ethics guidance and address policy and rule changes to support evolving changes in the ethics rules. It certifies Lawyer Referral Services and administers the statewide Mandatory Fee Arbitration Program, which provides avenues for alternative dispute resolution of attorney‐client fee disputes.

If your deceased attorney was part of a law firm or law partnership, that firm would maintain custody of your file.

If your deceased attorney was a sole practitioner, you will need to obtain new counsel. Generally, the executor or administrator of the attorney's estate is responsible for notifying clients and returning their files. In some instances, the local superior court may appoint a practice administrator to handle these duties.

In other instances, the deceased attorney's law practice may be sold to another member of the bar. (Such sales are governed by ethical limitations outlined in the Rules of Professional Conduct).

Finally, there are unfortunate instances in which an attorney dies leaving no responsible person in charge of the law practice. In those instances, the State Bar or local county bar associations may assist in winding down the law practice (after obtaining authorization from the Superior Court).

Your first step should be to contact the law offices of your deceased attorney to determine whether your file is available. If you are unsuccessful, you may contact the State Bar Office of Chief Trial Counsel: 800-843-9053

The Tester ID was displayed when you paid for the test, on the payment confirmation webpage. It was also emailed to the account you used when you registered with the State Bar or, for those not licensed in California, to the email address you entered when you started the Self-Study payment process. If you cannot find the email, please check your spam or junk folder.

You will use the same password that you use to log in to My State Bar Profile. If you forgot that password, select “Forgot password?” on that page to reset it.