Frequently Asked Questions: Fresh Start Settlement Program

The Fresh Start Settlement Program is the State Bar’s Offer and Compromise Program authorized by State Bar Rule 3.1000. It is a one-year program enabling the State Bar to allow current and former licensees to settle certain outstanding debt consisting of discipline costs, client security fund reimbursement, and monetary sanctions accrued prior to January 1, 2025 for less than the amount owed. The Board of Trustees determined there is good cause for this program to enhance repayment rates while mitigating the severe consequences of debt for current and former licensees. Eligible debt will be confidentiality listed within the Fresh Start Settlement Program Platform.

You will be required to enter into a Settlement and Release of Claims Agreement with the State Bar and pay the full settlement amount either immediately in one lump sum or in installments by December 31, 2025. The State Bar will thereafter consider the eligible debt as itemized in the Fresh Start Settlement Program Platform paid in full for all purposes, including for purposes of return to active status or reinstatement to the practice of law. The State Bar will make no further effort to collect on the debt, including but not limited to, referral of debt to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), credit reporting agencies, entry of a Superior Court money judgment, our pursing other legal action.

Disbarred, resigned, not-eligible, active, and inactive licensees with outstanding debt owed to the State Bar.

The types of eligible debt included in the Fresh Start Settlement Program are debt accrued prior to January 1, 2025, as follows:

• Disciplinary Costs awarded against you pursuant to Business and Professions Code Section 6086.10, subsection (a). These are costs ordered by the State Bar Court or Supreme Court of California.
• Monetary Sanctions awarded against you pursuant to Business and Professions Code Section 6086.13, subsection (a). These are costs ordered by the State Bar Court or Supreme Court of California.
• Client Security Fund (CSF) reimbursement, including interest and processing costs, owed by you pursuant to Business and Professions Code Section 6140.5, subsection (c). 
• Superior Court money judgments entered on any of the above debt.

Current and former State Bar licensees will be invited to participate in stages to ensure a smooth process. You will receive an invitation via mail and email when you are eligible. Please wait for your individualized invitation via mail and email for the website link and log-in instructions.  Former licensees and suspended licensees or licensees not otherwise eligible to practice law (as of January 1, 2025) will be notified by the end of March 2025. 

Licensees on active and voluntary inactive status (as of January 1, 2025) will be invited in May to have the opportunity to settle discipline costs, monetary sanctions and/or CSF reimbursements due with their annual fee renewals in 2026 and beyond. Any portion of the abovementioned debt due with your 2025 renewal fees, or otherwise due in 2025, must be paid in full in 2025, in alignment with the State Bar’s Schedule of Charges and Deadlines, as a condition of continued practice. This program does not include any other type of debt owed to the State Bar, included but not limited to, past due license fees, CTAPP and/or MCLE non-compliance penalties.

The State Bar is using eConciliador to administer the Program. eConciliador is a secure online platform that helps settle claims efficiently and quickly.

Your participation in this program is voluntary to resolve the debt that is owed to the State Bar. If you choose not to take advantage of the Fresh Start Settlement Program, the State Bar reserves all rights to pursue, or continue to pursue, any and all available legal remedies to recover the total owed debt, including without limitation reporting the debt to FTB, credit reporting agencies, entry of a Superior Court money judgment and/or pursuing legal actions. 

If you were an active or voluntarily inactive licensee as of January 1, 2025 and do not participate in the Fresh Start Settlement Program, or are not able to reach a settlement, you are required to pay your outstanding discipline costs, monetary sanctions and/or Client Security Fund reimbursements as originally ordered by the Supreme Court of California, State Bar Court and/or the Client Security Fund. If you were granted an extension of time to pay costs, your extension order will still be valid.

You will be sent a letter and an email, which will include the website link and your login details (your State Bar Number and a personal PIN). After logging in, you can create your own password or continue using the provided PIN.

Call 1-855-394-5084. They will help you recover your PIN after authenticating your identity.

You will enter your State Bar Number and PIN, and you will see how much you owe the State Bar. Click “Settlement Offer” to receive an offer to settle your debt.

The offer considers several factors, including the type of debt, the licensee status of the individual, and the amount of debt.

For most individuals, it takes less than five minutes from logging in to signing the Settlement Agreement.

If you reject the State Bar’s settlement offer you will have the opportunity to provide feedback as to why you rejected the offer and submit a counteroffer. If your counteroffer is not accepted and you would like to return to the original State Bar offer, please email collections@calbar.ca.gov to reset your original offer.

No, you don’t need to provide any financial documents to receive an offer to settle for less than what you owe. For attorneys not allowed to practice law as of January 1, 2025 and who cannot afford the settlement offer, the State Bar will ask for more information to determine if extreme financial hardship should be considered in accepting a lower settlement for collections purposes only.

If you reject the settlement offer and are experiencing extreme financial hardship, please enter an amount you would be able to pay on the feedback form or indicate in the comments that you are experiencing financial hardship. You will receive an email with a link to a questionnaire about your financial situation. All information and attachments will be kept securely and confidentially. The State Bar will review the answers in your questionnaire and email a response from eConciliador.

We want to make this process as easy as possible for you. Call 1-855-394-5084 and please have your State Bar Number ready.

You can elect to pay immediately in one lump-sum payment or choose to pay in installments. If you chose to pay in installments, full payment must be received by December 31, 2025.

Paying the settlement all at once entitles you to an additional five percent reduction in the amount owed.

No, there are no additional fees or interest for choosing the installment payment option. If you opt for an installment plan of four or less payments, your monthly installments will be of equal value. If you opt for an installment plan of five or more payments, the first installment will be 25% of the settled value and subsequent installments will be of equal value.

The entire settlement must be paid by December 31, 2025. No exceptions. If you do not pay the new settlement amount by December 31, 2025, the Settlement Agreement will be terminated. You will owe the original amount of the debt (less what you have paid) and the State Bar reserves all rights to pursue, or continue to pursue, all available legal remedies to recover the total owed debt, including without limitation reporting the debt to FTB, credit reporting agencies, entry of a Superior Court money judgment and/or pursuing legal actions.

Upon completion of your Fresh Start settlement payment, please allow two weeks for your billing record to be updated. This applies to nondisbarred and nonresigned attorneys only. Disbarred and resigned attorneys do not have active billing records.

When you sign the Settlement Agreement, the State Bar will recall your debt from FTB within two weeks. Any payments already in transit from FTB to the State Bar at that time belong to the State Bar and will not be refunded to you.

Settlements made through the Fresh Start Settlement Program will supersede any existing installment order from State Bar Court.

We strongly encourage online payment via credit card or ACH. All credit cards are accepted. Click on the link on the Fresh Start Settlement Program website to pay through Wells Fargo. 

If for some reason you are unable to pay online, we also accept mailed check payments made payable to State Bar of California, mailed to: 

State Bar of California 

Attn: Collections 

180 Howard St San Francisco, CA 94105 

Your check must include your State Bar Number in the memo line. Please do not mail a check until you have signed the settlement agreement. Please include a signed copy of your settlement agreement with your check.

No, the State Bar is covering all transaction fees.