“IOLTA” stands for Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts. IOLTA is a method of raising money, primarily for providing legal services to those unable to afford them. 

The State Bar’s Legal Services Trust Fund Program collects the interest generated by IOLTA accounts and distributes the funds to more than 100 nonprofit legal aid organizations that provide civil legal aid to indigent Californians.  

You can look up the IOLTA-funded organizations, and you can learn more about IOLTA accounts on the State Bar’s website.  

Effective August 1, 2023, lawyers must comply with Rule of Professional Conduct 8.3, which requires a lawyer to report certain misconduct by another lawyer. The Rule 8.3 Reporting Requirements page provides more information about this reporting obligation.

California criminal prosecutors are required to notify the State Bar when they file criminal charges (felony or misdemeanor) against an attorney.[7]

California courts are required to notify the State Bar when an attorney is convicted of any crime;[8] when an attorney has been found in contempt;[9] when an attorney has been sanctioned $1,000 or more (except for discovery sanctions);[10] when an attorney has been found in violation of certain statutes;[11] or when a civil judgment has been entered against an attorney for fraud, misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, or gross negligence committed in a professional capacity.[12]

Insurance companies are required to notify the State Bar upon receipt of a claim or action against an attorney for fraud, misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, or gross negligence committed in a professional capacity.[13]

The insurance commissioner reports workers’ compensation fraud to the State Bar.[14]

Banks submit reports to the State Bar when an attorney trust account is overdrawn.[15]

The State Bar is statutorily authorized to receive Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI)[16] from the California Department of Justice for purposes of admission, discipline, and regulation of attorneys.[17]

The State Bar is statutorily authorized to receive subsequent arrest notification services[18] for attorneys.[19]

We offer a variety of online courses, the majority of which qualify for Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) credit, with a focus on required credits such as legal ethics and attorney competency. All courses are self-paced, allowing you to start, pause, and continue learning whenever it works best for you. 

Yes, payments are processed through a secure gateway, and we do not store your card details. 

Your device may be referring to an earlier memory cache (version) of the course and may not be refreshing correctly. Try carrying out each of these options until you resolve the issue:

1. Clear your browser’s memory cache/history.
2. Try using a different Internet browser. The following are optimal:
   Windows 7/10: Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 11 or above
   iOS: Safari
3. Try launching the course on a different device.

Disciplinary action for violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct or the State Bar Act ranges from private reproval to disbarment.

The Probation Unit of the Office of Chief Trial Counsel monitors attorneys’ compliance with the conditions imposed on suspensions and reprovals.

The State Bar Court also may put attorneys on involuntary inactive status if they appear to pose a serious threat to the public.

If a State Bar investigation indicates that an attorney’s conduct only bordered on a violation or was a minor breach, State Bar prosecutors may choose an alternative to discipline.

The State Bar’s Office of Chief Trial Counsel could decide to:

• Send a Directional or Warning Letter to the attorney, and close the case.
• Issue an Admonition informing the attorney that no further action will take place as long as they stay out of trouble for two years. 
• Settle on an Agreement in Lieu of Discipline that requires the attorney to fulfill specially tailored remedial conditions.

No, the Ethics Hotline does not provide written opinions or research memoranda. Assistance is offered by phone, and staff will identify relevant rules, cases, and ethics opinions during the call.

The Ethics Hotline is a confidential research service provided by the State Bar of California. It offers guidance to licensed attorneys on questions related to their professional responsibilities under the Rules of Professional Conduct and the State Bar Act.

Meeting materials are posted online in advance. Written comments may be sent to adrwg@calbar.ca.gov, and oral comments are allowed at the start of each Working Group meeting. Once a tentative proposal is ready, it will be posted online for preliminary public comment.

No. Your certification is only valid for the period stated in your application. You must submit a new Application for the Certified Law Student Program in the Applicant Portal with the required documentation and fee.

No. An applicant who graduates from a juris doctor (JD) program, completes one year in a Master of Laws (LLM) program, or completes their law study through the Law Office Study Program is eligible to apply for the Certified Law Student Program for up to 30 days after completing the program.

No, you cannot pause your studies during your six-month study period. A pause between sessions can take place; however, your participation in the LOS Program will be terminated if you fail to submit a semi-annual report within a year of your last semi-annual report. You will retain law study credit already received and recognized by the State Bar.

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.

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:

1. Log in to My State Bar Profile.
2. Select “Compliance Dashboard” in the top navigation menu.
3. In the “Annual License Fee Status” section, select “Pay your annual fees.”
4. Select “Calculate and pay my fees.”
5. 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.

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.

To purchase the courses:

1. Log in to My State Bar Profile. 

2. Locate the e-learning section toward the bottom of the home page, and select “E-Learning Portal.”

3. On the E-Learning Dashboard’s top navigation bar, select “View Catalog.”

4. In the search box, type “New Attorney Training.”

5. 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.”

You can email the State Bar and request a copy of your DOJ/FBI rejection notice. These notices include information on the reason why the DOJ and/or FBI rejected your fingerprints. The State Bar reviews each response and provides attorneys with a rejection email that summarizes the reason for the rejection and details the necessary steps to successfully resubmit fingerprints.

The IOLTA Program is a department within the State Bar of California that administers IOLTA accounts, as well as two other sources of funding for free civil legal aid to low-income and indigent people: the California Equal Access Fund and the Greg E. Knoll Justice Gap Fund.

The State Bar initiated the IOLTA Program due to the lack of resources available for indigent clients who are in need of civil legal services. The substantial amount of money the program generates makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of these people to get the legal help that they need every year.

A 21-member Legal Services Trust Fund Commission appointed by the State Bar's Board of Trustees and the Chief Justice (on behalf of the Judicial Council of California) oversees the Trust Fund Program. Two-thirds of the commission members are attorneys and one-third are public members.

At least two of the 21 members must be "indigent persons" as defined by law. Three judges serve as non-voting advisors to the commission.

The Commission determines the eligibility of programs applying for funding, reviews recipients' budgets for compliance with the law, and monitors and evaluates the activities of programs receiving Trust Fund Program grants.

Yes. You must enter each course included in the package into the online summary log and provide a copy of any proof of completion it may have included (for example, a log and witness statement, if the MCLE bundle include them.)