Poor recordkeeping, delayed responses, or lack of cooperation may prolong the compliance review and may be considered noncompliance with CTAPP requirements. Consequences can include: 

• Additional time and cost, as the CPA may need to spend more hours completing the review due to incomplete or unclear documentation 
• Serious or unresolved findings that may result in escalation to an investigative audit by the State Bar or possible referral to the Office of Chief Trial Counsel for potential disciplinary action 

Timely communication and good faith cooperation are essential. If you anticipate any delays, you are encouraged to notify the CPA or the State Bar as early as possible. Reasonable extensions may be granted when appropriate.

The standards of rule 1.15 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct require attorneys to maintain the following trust account records for each client matter:

• Account journal for each trust account, organized in chronological order with the daily running balance for the overall trust account
• Client ledgers showing all receipts and disbursements for individual clients, organized in chronological order with the daily running balance
• Bank statements with copies of checks
• Monthly three-way reconciliations balancing the account journal, client ledgers, and bank statements, including support documentation required to complete monthly reconciliations, such as monthly client ledger summaries, lists of outstanding deposits, and lists of outstanding disbursements

In addition, records supporting Rules of Professional Conduct, rule 1.15, and other related statutes governing trust account recordkeeping practices include:

• Records of notices to clients or other persons of the receipt of funds within 14 days
• Records supporting all deposits and disbursements to establish compliance
• Engagement letters, fee agreements, settlement agreements, invoices or billings, and client communications regarding fees, accounting, and disputes

We recommend completing the Firm Self-Assessment with Practice Aid for a complete list of records and recordkeeping practices to evaluate compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct and applicable law regarding the safekeeping of funds entrusted by clients or others and any related obligations.

Yes. Uncompensated work by volunteer attorneys that enables the delivery of legal services at a charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental, or education organization in matters in furtherance of its organizational purposes would qualify as bono hours as defined under Business and Professions Code section 6073.1(c)(1)(C). This includes volunteer teaching at a law school as well as volunteer mediation or arbitration services provided through a court, even when the parties are not indigent.

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.

By law, all lawyers who handle small amounts of money for their clients, or money that is held for a short period of time, must participate in the program.

They must open interest- or dividend-bearing trust accounts at Eligible Financial Institutions and deposit all small and short-term sums into these accounts. They also must report annually to the State Bar whether or not they held a client trust account (including IOLTA) at any time during the prior year.

Once the account is designated an IOLTA account, lawyers are not responsible for ensuring that the interest is accumulated and forwarded to the State Bar.

The financial institutions with which the funds are deposited are responsible for complying with the law, and the IOLTA Program is responsible for monitoring compliance.

Go to Complete Unfinished Test and enter the Tester ID you received for the test. Then click Next. You will be taken to the MCLE article and 20 questions. 

Special Masters are needed in all counties in California. The State Bar attempts to maintain a large list of qualified Special Masters to avoid overburdening individual Special Masters.

You may access the course by logging in to My State Bar Profile and entering the E-learning Portal. In the “What do you want to learn?” search box, type “Ethics School” or “CTA School.” Click “Add to Cart” and complete the checkout process. The course is self-paced and available on demand 24/7. You may save your progress and return to the course at any time, prior to the expiration date. The course must be completed within 90 days of purchase.

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.

Unless the parties have reached a settlement agreement, a decision will not be made at the hearing. After the hearing, you will receive by mail the arbitrator’s “Findings and Award,” as well as a written “Notice of Your Rights After Arbitration,” which explains your options after the award. The findings may provide you a refund of fees or costs, an amount of outstanding fees you owe, or a determination that no money is owed to either party. The arbitrator may also allocate the program filing fee, regardless of which party initially paid it.

The mailing address for the State Bar of California is: 180 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Additional information is available on the Contact Us webpage.

The State Bar welcomes any feedback you have on the survey design or survey questions. Please note that the State Bar will review your feedback, but cannot guarantee that the changes will be incorporated into future surveys. Please email your feedback and comments to surveydata@calbar.ca.gov.

There is only a tiny fraction of legal aid attorneys in California out of all active attorneys to address the legal problems of millions of needy clients. As an attorney, you have legal training and a license to practice law. You can make a real difference in people’s lives. Studies have repeatedly shown that attorneys get better results than clients who are forced to represent themselves.

No. (Rule 9.47 & 9.48)

No, that fact alone is not a ground for denial.