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.
How do I file a complaint against my lawyer or a lawyer referral service?
If you believe your lawyer has done something wrong, you can file a complaint with the State Bar. Complaints may be submitted online or by mail. If you have questions or need assistance in completing the form, call the State Bar’s Attorney Complaint Hotline at 800-843-9053. For more information on reporting a lawyer to the State Bar and handling other problems, read the legal guide If You Have a Problem with an Attorney.
If you have a complaint about a certified or uncertified LRS, you can file a complaint against the service with the State Bar. In order to promote public protection, the State Bar will review your complaint to determine if the LRS has violated Business and Professions Code Section 6155 and State Bar Rules.
For more information on certified lawyer referral services, contact LRS@calbar.ca.gov.
When are the annual fees due?
The due date is by March 30, or the next business day if that date falls on a weekend or holiday, each year during the annual license renewal process. The 2025 annual deadline is April 1, 2025. If you miss the deadline, you will be charged a penalty ($103 for active attorneys, $31 for inactive attorneys).
What activities qualify for general MCLE credit?
Activities that qualify for general MCLE credit must: (1) relate to legal subjects that are directly relevant to California attorneys, and (2) offer current, significant educational, professional, or practical content with the specific objective of increasing each participant’s professional competency as an attorney. Programs created primarily for nonattorney audiences (for example, general public, clients, or business staff) do not qualify and will not be approved for general MCLE credit. More on Standards for MCLE activity Approval.
What is IOLTA?
IOLTA stands for Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts. Attorneys deposit client funds that they plan to hold briefly, or that are too small to earn interest for the client, into larger shared accounts. Over 73,000 attorneys make deposits in approximately 49,000 IOLTA accounts in California. As of September 2019, IOLTA accounts hold nearly $5 billion. Any interest earned on these accounts is paid by financial institutions to the State Bar, which in turn distributes those funds as grants to qualified nonprofit civil legal organizations throughout the state.
Refer to the State Bar’s IOLTA FAQ page for more information.
No. You must meet all of the requirements for admission to the California bar except that you do not need to take the bar exam or the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam.
May a non-California attorney register as both a legal services attorney and in-house counsel?
Yes, if the attorney meets the eligibility requirements for each category.
What constitutes a transaction or other non-litigation matter?
A transaction or other non-litigation matter refers to any legal matter other than litigation, arbitration, mediation, or a legal action before an administrative decision-maker.
Will I receive a receipt following my renewal?
To request a receipt of your MJP renewal fees, please call Member Records and Billing at 888-800-3400. Press "0" and a representative will assist you.
Admitted with four months or less left in the compliance period?
The proportional requirement rules specify that if a licensee is subject to the MCLE requirement for four months or less, s/he does not need to comply with the MCLE education requirement for that compliance period.
Thus, if an attorney was admitted in December and his or her Compliance Group's deadline is less than 2 months away, it is unnecessary to comply with the MCLE requirement for that compliance period. The next compliance period for this group begins on February 1, and an attorney can count only activities earned on or after February 1 toward the requirement for that next compliance period. (There is no carryforward of credit hours from one compliance period to the next. [Rule 2.72(D)])
I reside overseas and the fingerprint vendor refused to sign the card, what do I do?
If you are at an overseas fingerprint vendor and the technician fails to sign the fingerprinting cards, please contact FingerPrinting Card Request for further assistance.
The Live Scan form has the State Bar of California listed as my employer. Is this an error?
No, this is not an error. The DOJ Live Scan process requires the employer section of the form to indicate “The State Bar of California.” As part of DOJ and FBI procedures for sharing any criminal offender record information, the entity receiving this information must be listed under the employer section of the Live Scan form. The Live Scan vendor must enter specific information provided on the Live Scan form into the Live Scan software to ensure any information regarding the person’s criminal offender record information goes to the correct agency.
Please do not modify the prepopulated Employer section of the form. Changes to this section could result in failure to successfully submit your fingerprints to the DOJ.
How much does fingerprinting cost?
It costs $32 for the DOJ to run a criminal record check and $17 for the FBI to do so, for a total cost of $49. Vendor processing costs differ by vendor, but range from $5 to $75, with an average cost of $33. A list of California Live Scan locations and costs can be found online (DOJ website).
I am a judicial officer. Do I need to satisfy the fingerprinting rule requirements?
It depends on your State Bar license status. All licensees on active status, regardless of job title, are required to comply with the fingerprinting rule requirements. Those on inactive status are not. Judges of courts of record whose status is Judge in State Bar records are not required to be fingerprinted unless and until they return to active status.
I am not required to report arrests, so why is the State Bar able to receive arrest information?
The criminal record information provided by the DOJ and FBI includes arrest and conviction records. The DOJ does not have a policy to limit criminal record information to only include convictions.
Once I complete the administrative portion of the audit, will I be contacted again?
Please submit your information both online and by email, fax or mail. We will review the submission and let you know if you need to correct any deficiencies or provide further documentation. Once the administrative portion of the audit has been completed, you will be notified by mail. Attorneys who attested to compliance but failed to provide sufficient proof may be referred to the Office of Chief Trial Counsel for further investigation and/or disciplinary prosecution.
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 am on voluntary Inactive status and wish to return to Active status. What is my MCLE requirement?
There is no specific MCLE requirement for reactivation. An attorney will receive a 60-day notice to comply soon after reactivation. However, for attorneys who have been Inactive for two (2) or more years, previously accrued hours may have all been tolled off.
We can accommodate only one passport-type photo within your profile on the State Bar's website, which you can update as needed. However, including a link to your firm's website will give you the opportunity to provide additional information.
Am I guaranteed that the attorney I contact will take my case?
The State Bar of California is not an attorney referral service. The online directory is informational and there is no guarantee that the lawyer contacted will agree to take your case. An attorney’s decision of whether or not to take a case is a matter between you and the attorney. The State Bar has no influence over that process.
Can I find additional information besides what is required by the State Bar?
Some attorneys have chosen to voluntarily provide the following additional information, which is not considered part of the official record and which has not been verified by the State Bar:
links to firm web page
languages spoken by the lawyer or the law firm employees
a photo of the attorney
legal practice area
We are dissolving our LLP, how do we terminate our Certificate of Registration with the State Bar?
In order to voluntarily terminate the LLP's Certificate of Registration with the State Bar, you must submit an original certified copy of the Secretary of State's LLP-4 form (including the blue and white cover sheet with red date stamp), showing that the entity ceases to exist as a limited liability partnership. Pursuant to 9.0 of the State Bar's LLP Rules and Regulations, the termination shall be effective as of the date the LLP is dissolved by the Secretary of State.
Do I lose my exemption if I do work "outside the scope of my employment?"
Yes. You lose your exemption for the entire compliance period, with the exception of "qualified" pro bono work (see details below).
Full-time employees of the State of California or the United States government are exempt under 2.54(A)(3) and 2.54(A)(4) only if the sole legal work done by the attorneys is within the scope of their employment.
If these attorneys engage in any legal activity outside the scope of their employment, including pro bono work (see below for exception) or legal work for the attorney personally, close friends or immediate family (such as drafting a will for a relative, reviewing a contract for a non-profit association of which the attorney is a member and giving advice respecting it, they are not covered by the exemption of section 2.54(A)(3) and 2.54(A)(4) and must comply with the full MCLE requirements.
I was exempt during the compliance period. Do I still have to respond to the audit?
If you claimed exempt status for any portion of the compliance period, please complete the MCLE Online Summary Log by selecting “Yes” in the Exempt box and provide a letter from all of your supervisors confirming your titles and dates of employment relative to the MCLE compliance period along with the MCLE Audit Submission Cover Sheet by the deadline. If you also have a proportional requirement you should submit the necessary number of certificates.
What if I can’t attend an admission ceremony on any of these dates?
You don’t have to attend an admissions ceremony to take the attorney’s oath. You can also appear before a judge, justice or clerk of the court, State Bar of California trustee, military commanding officer, an American consul or anyone authorized to administer oaths. For more information, see this list of people who are qualified to administer the oath.
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