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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.

In addition to reporting pro bono legal services, Business and Professions Code section 6073.2(b)(2) requires attorneys to report the amount of reduced fee legal services hours performed for low-income individuals, nonprofit organizations, or public law libraries established under section 6360. Some examples of reduced fee legal services might include offering affordable help through programs like bar association reduced fee panels or legal clinics that provide services on a sliding scale. 

Per Business and Professions Code section 6073.1(d), reduced fee legal services means “providing or enabling direct delivery of legal services at a substantially reduced rate affordable to persons of limited means to either a person of limited means or a person or organization identified in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1) in subdivision (c) of section 6073.1.”  

You can reach the Ethics Hotline in two ways:

• By phone: Call 1-800-238-4427 (within California) or 415-538-2150 (outside of California). Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. to noon (PST). You may speak with a live agent or leave a callback number. Calls are returned in the order received.
• Online request form: Submit a Research Assistance Request Form at any time. A staff member will respond by phone within one to two business days in the order received.

Staff will compile and summarize comments for the Working Group, which may then revise its tentative proposal. Staff will submit the Working Group and staff recommendations to the Board.

Supervising Attorneys are required to notify the State Bar within 30 days if the supervision of a CLS is ending before the period stated in the CLS’s Notice. Please email special.admissions@calbar.ca.gov to provide this notification.

Generally, when you submit a complete and accurate CLS application through the Applicant Portal, the State Bar will process it within 30 days of receipt.

Incomplete applications will take longer to process. If your application is deemed incomplete, you will have 60 days from the date you received notification of the missing information or documentation to bring it to a complete status. If your application is not deemed complete within this period, your application will be abandoned without a refund of any fees paid, absent a showing of good cause.

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.

Possible outcomes of the compliance review include:

• Confirmation of compliance with no further action
• Recommendations for best practices for a compliance review with minimal findings
• A mandatory corrective action plan
• Escalation to an investigative audit
• Referral to the Office of Chief Trial Counsel for possible disciplinary action

If certain records are unavailable, you must notify the CPA or State Bar reviewer as soon as possible. You may be asked to explain the reason for the missing documents and provide any alternative documentation or context available.

No. Appellate counsel appointed to represent indigent defendants are not included in any of the categories of attorneys who are exempt from reporting pro bono or reduced fee hours under Business and Professions Code section 6073.2(d). Although work performed by appointed appellate counsel does not meet the definition of pro bono services under Business and Professions Code section 6073.1(c), this work may qualify as reduced fee or “low bono” legal services. Under Business and Professions Code section 6073.1(d), reduced fee legal services means providing or enabling the direct delivery of legal services at a substantially reduced rate that is affordable to persons of limited means to either a person of limited means or a person or an organization identified in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1) in subdivision (c) of section 6073.1.” Attorneys are encouraged to use their best good-faith judgment when making these determinations.

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.

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.

To search for certified specialists, please visit the Attorney Search webpage, select the Certified Specialists link, and use the drop down to search by certified legal specialty.  You can further refine the results by adding geographic limitations (e.g., city or county). 

A number of legal services providers have projects specifically designed to use your skills as a transactional lawyer. In addition, there are many types of pro bono litigation matters, including some that may be of interest to you. Providers generally offer training and mentoring so you are well-supported throughout the pro bono engagement.

Submit the Application for Transfer to Inactive Status. To be eligible for the inactive fee the following year, you must submit the Transfer to Inactive Status form by December 1 and the effective date of the transfer must be on or before December 31. A Transfer to Inactive Status form submitted after December 1 or with an effective date after December 31 will not reduce the active fees owed. View detailed instructions and access the required form.

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.

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.

Maintains, on behalf of the California Supreme Court, the official roll of attorneys—the records of all attorneys licensed to practice in California. The office helps licensees comply with their administrative requirements, including the Client Trust Account Protection Program and continuing legal education. The office also manages the registration of law corporations and limited law partnerships.