A Registered Foreign Legal Consultant is admitted to practice and is in good standing as an attorney, counselor at law, or the equivalent in a foreign country and has a current State Bar Certificate of Registration as a Foreign Legal Consultant. A Registered Foreign Legal Consultant may practice the law of their country in California but may not practice California law. Please see rule 9.44 of the California Rules of Court and Title 3, Division 3, Chapter 4 of the Rules of the State Bar.

The State Bar does not oversee Live Scan vendors and cannot endorse or recommend vendors to attorneys.The DOJ has a list of certified Live Scan vendors. Attorneys are encouraged to select a California DOJ certified Live Scan vendor.

None. IOLTA only involves funds that a lawyer would not otherwise invest on the client's behalf because those funds would not produce net income over the cost of investing them.

Administers the Client Security Fund, which reimburses those who have lost money or property due to theft or dishonest conduct by a California attorney. Supports law students, State Bar applicants, and current and former attorneys who require monitoring for substance use and behavioral health issues, including attorneys participating in the State Bar Court’s alternative discipline program. In addition, the office administers the voluntary portion of the Lawyer Assistance Program, which provides a variety of services to help law students, State Bar applicants, and current and former attorneys who are struggling with substance use, behavioral health issues, or other personal and/or career concerns. The office also monitors attorneys who are disciplined and must comply with conditions pursuant to a probation or reproval matter.

Carries out all activities that enable the California Supreme Court to grant licenses to newly qualified entrants to California's legal profession. The office develops, administers, and grades the California Bar Exam and the First-Year Law Students’ Exam and conducts moral character investigations of all applicants. The office is also responsible for California's uniquely diverse pathways to the law. It supports the Committee of Bar Examiners in accrediting California-accredited law schools and registering unaccredited law schools. It also administers programs that allow lawyers licensed in other jurisdictions or law students to practice in certain defined, limited areas, as well as programs to certify specialists in 13 areas of legal practice. In 2020, the office developed a new program for the provisional licensure of recent law graduates and others.

No, all MCLE tests offered by the State Bar are available only online. Only the online self-assessment tests are eligible for MCLE credit.

Ethics School provides an overview of the California Rules of Professional Conduct and relevant provisions of the State Bar Act. It is designed to help attorneys identify and avoid common ethical pitfalls in practice. The course is self-paced and available on the State Bar’s E-learning Portal 24/7. It replaces the live monthly sessions previously offered.

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.

The annual renewal packets are sent out the first week of December.

Yes. Within the first 12 months after approval of your application for registration as an in-house counsel, you must complete the same 25 hours of MCLE activities that attorneys of the California bar must complete in a 36-month period. The 25-hour requirement includes four hours of legal ethics, one hour of prevention, detection and treatment of substance abuse, and one hour of elimination of bias in the legal profession. After the first-year requirement, you will be assigned to a compliance group according to your last name and must continue to comply with the MCLE requirement by completing 25 hours of MCLE every three years.

Submit a registration application, which includes an Application for Determination of Moral Character, to the State Bar with the appropriate fees. MJP registration applications are available online. The moral character application is available, but must be submitted with the MJP application, not separately.

Legal services attorneys and in-house counsel must comply with the same 25-hour MCLE requirement as licensed attorneys of the California bar within their first year of practice. The 25-hour requirement includes four hours of legal ethics, one hour of prevention, detection and treatment of substance abuse, and one hour of elimination of bias in the legal profession. Please refer to the appropriate rule of court and FAQ for additional information.

No. You are not allowed to establish or maintain a resident office or other continuous presence in California for the practice of law. You must maintain an office in a U.S. jurisdiction other than California in which you are licensed. (Rule 9.47 & 9.48)

An MJP attorney must be an active licensed attorney in good standing of the bar of at least one U.S. state, jurisdiction, possession, territory or dependency. The other requirements vary depending on the category. Please refer to the appropriate rule of court and FAQ for additional information.