Will you send me a reminder before my deadline? Will there be a reminder in My State Bar Profile?
No. The State Bar will not send a reminder before your NAT completion deadline. You are personally responsible for tracking and meeting your deadline.
If you do not complete NAT by your deadline, the State Bar will send you a notice of noncompliance. The notice will explain that you must complete NAT and pay any assessed noncompliance penalty to avoid being enrolled as inactive and becoming ineligible to practice law.
Because NAT is a onetime requirement, it may not appear in the same area of My State Bar Profile as your annual MCLE compliance obligations. Remember to:
Keep your email address and mailing address current with the State Bar,
Review your notifications in My State Bar Profile regularly, and
Complete NAT well before your deadline.
If I miss the deadline, how do I pay the noncompliance penalty?
If you do not complete NAT by your deadline, you will be assessed a noncompliance penalty, which may take up to 90 days to appear in My State Bar Profile. To pay the noncompliance penalty:
Select “Compliance Dashboard” in the top navigation menu.
In the “Annual License Fee Status” section, select “Pay your annual fees.”
Select “Calculate and pay my fees.”
Follow the instructions to pay any outstanding balance.
Even after a noncompliance penalty has been assessed, you are still required to complete NAT. If you do not complete NAT and resolve any assessed fees by the applicable deadlines, you may be enrolled as involuntarily inactive and become ineligible to practice law.
What is the New Attorney Training Program?
The State Bar of California’s New Attorney Training (NAT) Program is a mandatory online training program for all newly admitted California attorneys. It consists of nine State Bar–produced courses covering professional responsibilities and practical skills for practicing law. The courses may be completed in any order and at your own pace.
Topic
MCLE Credit
Attorney as an Officer of the Court—Civility and Pro Bono Legal Services
1.0 hour of Civility
Attorney Communication Duties
1.25 hours of Legal Ethics
Attorney Well-Being: The Bedrock of Competence
1.0 hour of Competence: Prevention and Detection
Attorney-Client Relationships
1.25 hours of Legal Ethics
Conflict Resolution, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, and Technology
0.75 hours of General
Elimination of Bias
1.0 hour of Elimination of Bias
Introduction to Law Practice Management Skills
1.0 hour of General
The Attorney as a Fiduciary of Funds and Property of Clients and Others
1.5 hours of Legal Ethics
The Duty of Confidentiality and Conflicts of Interest
1.25 hours of Legal Ethics
Can I claim MCLE credit for NAT courses?
The State Bar’s New Attorney Training is a separate requirement and is not MCLE. However, you may apply NAT course hours toward your MCLE requirements if you complete the hours during your first MCLE compliance period. (Rule 2.142.) Review your MCLE requirements, including any proportional requirement, to determine whether and how the NAT hours apply to your situation.
When is my deadline to complete NAT?
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.
How do I access the New Attorney Training?
The New Attorney Training Program courses can be accessed through My State Bar Profile. The fee to access all nine courses is $55. Fee waivers are not available.
Locate the e-learning section toward the bottom of the home page, and select “E-Learning Portal.”
On the E-Learning Dashboard’s top navigation bar, select “View Catalog.”
In the search box, type “New Attorney Training.”
Select “Add to Cart” and complete the checkout process.
After you purchase the courses, when you return to the E-Learning Dashboard, select “Not Started” to locate the course you want to start. Then, select the red + button to the right of the course title, and select “Launch.”
Can I get a fee waiver for the course?
No. Fee waivers are not available. The fee to access all nine NAT courses is $55.
Can I request an exemption or time extension?
There are no exemptions from the NAT requirement. (Rule 2.143.)
Time extensions are granted only in rare cases involving documented personal hardship. (Rule 2.144.) If you believe you have a qualifying hardship, submit the applicable State Bar request as soon as possible and ideally before your NAT deadline, if feasible.
Submitting a request does not excuse compliance unless the State Bar grants it. Do not delay beginning or completing NAT while awaiting a decision.
I’m a former Provisional Licensure Program (PLP) participant and was recently admitted. Do I need to take NAT again?
If you completed any portion of NAT while enrolled in the State Bar’s PLP, you are considered to have satisfied that portion of the NAT requirement and do not need to retake it. Make sure you complete all nine NAT courses by the deadline.
Check your E-Learning Portal to confirm that your completed courses are reflected. If a completed course does not appear in your record, contact elearning@calbar.ca.gov for assistance.
As a federal or state employee, am I exempt from completing NAT?
No. Although certain federal or state employees may be exempt from the general MCLE requirement, there are no exemptions from the NAT requirement for new licensees. (Rule 2.143.) You must complete NAT by your one-year admission anniversary deadline.
Are State Bar investigations into attorney misconduct public or confidential?
State Bar investigations and inquiries are, by statute, confidential. The complaint becomes public when disciplinary charges are filed against an attorney in State Bar Court. By law, however, any other pending investigations involving the same attorney must remain confidential at that point. If it is determined that public protection is seriously at stake in a particular case, the Chief Trial Counsel does have the authority to publicly reveal a pending investigation.
Under limited circumstances, the Board of Trustees, or the Chief Trial Counsel and Chair of the Board of Trustees, may waive confidentiality, but any public disclosure will remain limited to confirming the fact of a complaint or investigation; a brief factual summary to identify the subject matter of the complaint or investigation; and the status of the complaint or investigation.
If criminal conduct is suspected, the State Bar may also refer the matter to a law enforcement agency for investigation and potential prosecution.
I changed my last name. Does my compliance group change?
An attorney's compliance group never changes, even if a last name is changed. Attorneys always remain in the compliance group to which they originally were assigned. See Compliance Groups for more information.
How many JNE Commission members are assigned to investigate a candidate?
For Trial Court: Two or more commissioners, at least one of whom is an attorney member; for Supreme and Appellate Courts: Three or more commissioners, at least one of whom is a public member.
What are the requirements to register as a law corporation with the State Bar?
A Certificate of Registration as a Law Corporation will be issued if the applicant is a professional corporation certified by the Secretary of State and each shareholder is an active member of the State Bar or licensed to practice in the jurisdiction or jurisdictions in which the person practices. For a complete list of requirements, read the Law Corporation Rules of the State Bar of California.
I just found more certificates. Can I add them to my audit submission?
If you receive a notice of deficiency and are able to locate more certificates for courses taken within the compliance period, please submit them as an attachment to the Licensee Records and Compliance Inquiry form. Please remember to include the MCLE Audit Submission Cover Sheet and a letter of explanation whenever responding to a Notice of Deficiency.
How long does it take to process the application?
Each file is handled individually. Processing time depends on whether we receive complete information. A Foreign Legal Consultant application cannot be approved until you have received a positive moral character determination. Generally, the moral character review process can take a minimum of six months to complete.
What are the requirements to register as a Foreign Legal Consultant?
An applicant must:
have been admitted to practice law and have been in good standing as an attorney, counselor at law, or equivalent in a foreign country for at least four of the six years immediately preceding the application, and have actually practiced the law of that country;
possess good moral character (an Application for Determination of Moral Character is required and will be processed by the Office of Admissions in the same manner as for California bar applicants); and
provide the Office of Admissions with a written statement agreeing to maintain required security for claims for errors, omissions, and dishonest conduct.
How do I talk to someone about participation in the Lawyer Assistance Program?
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.
How does IOLTA work?
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.
What is the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation?
The Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE; JNE Commission), is an agency of the State Bar created by statute for the express purpose of evaluating judicial candidates nominated by the Governor. The language of the statute, Government Code section 12011.5, is mandatory. It provides that, prior to exercising their constitutional right to make judicial appointments, the Governor shall submit to JNE the names of all potential appointees or nominees for judicial office for evaluation of their judicial qualifications. The commission operates pursuant to rules and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the State Bar.
When I try to take the test, I'm put in a loop that asks me to make another payment.
If you already made a payment and received a confirmation, do not click the Take MCLE Test button. Instead, go to Complete Unfinished Test, enter the Tester ID sent to your email address, and click Next. The MCLE article and 20 questions will display.
How long is Ethics School, and will I receive Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) credit for attending?
The course is three hours long. However, you may take it at your own pace and save your progress.
If you are taking the course as the result of being disciplined by the State Bar, CLE credit is not available. Attorneys completing the course for this purpose must submit a certificate of completion to the Office of Case Management and Supervision upon completion of the course.
If you are taking this course as a condition of an abeyance stipulation related to an Application for Determination of Moral Character, MCLE credit is not available. Individuals completing the course for this purpose must submit a certificate of completion to the Office of Admissions upon conclusion of the course.
When browsing the course catalog, select “Ethics School—The Rules of Professional Conduct.” Do not select the course that covers similar content (e.g., “The Rules of Professional Conduct”). Taking any similar voluntary course will not satisfy your mandatory obligation to complete the course, whether mandated by an order of the California Supreme Court or the State Bar Court, or required by the Office of Admissions. To satisfy a mandatory obligation, you must take the mandatory Ethics School course, which is not eligible for MCLE credit.
What is the cost for the drug or alcohol testing?
The cost for drug testing varies by frequency and the type of test. Most tests are about $85 per test, which is paid to LAP’s contracted testing provider. The lab that is used for biological fluid collection, may assess an additional fee.
What happens at a fee arbitration hearing?
Arbitration hearings are informal, but you should obtain a copy of the rules of procedure from the program handling your fee dispute to educate yourself about the process.
The program will assign your dispute to a volunteer attorney arbitrator who must be licensed in good standing with the State Bar. Depending on the amount of your fee dispute, the panel will consist of one attorney arbitrator, or a three-member panel consisting of two attorney arbitrators and one nonattorney arbitrator.
You may be represented by a attorney, but it is not necessary. You can arrange for an interpreter to attend the hearing with you.
Both you and the attorney will have a chance to make statements, ask each other questions, and present evidence, such as letters, billing statements, or the fee agreement. You may also present witnesses, for example, someone who heard you and your attorney agree to the fee. If you have problems obtaining papers needed for the hearing from the opposing attorney, you may ask the arbitration panel to intervene.
If you think you will need moral support, ask the arbitrator if a family member or friend can accompany you to the hearing. Fee arbitration hearings may be closed to everyone else except the witnesses while they are testifying.
Most local bar programs don’t allow the arbitration hearing to be recorded or transcribed for confidentiality reasons.
Also, keep in mind that fee arbitration aims to determine if the fee amount is appropriate for the attorney’s work on your case. Arbitrators also consider the attorney’s performance in your case to reach their decision, but they cannot award any additional money for what may be attorney malpractice or professional misconduct.
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