No. All documentation and fees related to a PHV renewal must be submitted to the court and not the State Bar of California. Please contact the court if you have questions regarding PHV renewals.  

An out-of-state attorney, who is in good standing in their jurisdiction, and does not live, work, or conduct regular business in California can request permission from a California state court (superior court, Court of Appeal, or Supreme Court) to represent their client as counsel pro hac vice, which is a Latin term meaning "for this occasion." PHV is approved for a particular case, and an active licensee of the State Bar of California must be associated as attorney of record for the case. Please refer to rule 9.40 of the California Rules of Court.

Under rule 9.49, a PLL is allowed to provide a broad array of legal services for clients, including appearing before a court; drafting legal documents, such as contracts, transactional documents, and pleadings; engaging in negotiations and settlement discussions; and providing other legal advice, provided that the work is performed under the supervision of their Supervising Lawyer. The limits on what a PLL can do, or what needs to be done under direct versus general supervision, are largely left to the Supervising Lawyer to determine based on the readiness of the PLL. 

At the joint meeting on August 14, 2025, the Board of Trustees and the Committee of Bar Examiners set the new fees for the PLP. Please find them below. 

Yes. Even if you know that the court, opposing counsel, or some other entity has already made the report to the State Bar or is required to report to the State Bar, your obligation remains.[6]

Yes, and all courses can be accessed on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. No special software is required. All you need is a modern web browser (Google Chrome is recommended) and a stable internet connection. 

Yes, an invoice will be emailed to you after your purchase is complete. 

The Client Security Fund reimburses clients who have lost money or property due to theft or other dishonest acts by a California lawyer acting in a professional capacity. Supported entirely by lawyers’ annual fees, the fund reimburses eligible applicants up to $100,000. See the State Bar pamphlet The Client Security Fund Can Help You for more information.

Any active licensee who does not meet one of the exemptions in Business and Professions Code section 6073.2(d) is required to report the amount of pro bono service hours provided in the past year, including pro bono professionals, law school professors, and attorneys employed at law schools. Attorneys are asked to provide their best, good faith effort at reporting the amount of pro bono and/or reduced fee legal services hours provided to low-income individuals, nonprofit organizations, or public law libraries during the past year to meet the requirement of Business and Professions Code section 6073.2. Even licensees who are exempt from reporting their pro bono hours must declare their exemption status in My State Bar Profile. 

Yes, to the extent consistent with the information needed to research the issue.

All information about program participation is reported in aggregate. To view data about the LAP, please see the annual Lawyer Assistance Program Fact Sheet.

• 2023 Fact Sheet
• 2024 Fact Sheet
• 2025 Fact Sheet
   

State Bar staff is drafting recommendations for the Board of Trustees with guidance from an ADR Working Group of experts. The Working Group, its subgroups, and staff develop and review proposals, refine them, and will prepare a tentative proposal for preliminary public comment. The Working Group and staff will consider revising the proposal in light of the comments and will then submit their recommendations to the Board, which will then issue the proposal for another public comment period before deciding on adoption.

You may request to add or change a Supervising Attorney at the same employer/agency by submitting a “Certified Law Students Extension – Supervising Attorney Change” application, a Supervising Attorney Declaration form from each new supervising attorney, including the fee set forth in the Schedule of Charges and Deadlines through the Applicant Portal, prior to the commencement of the supervision period.

No. You are ineligible to participate in the program if you are licensed to practice law in any U.S. jurisdiction.

On the end date of your study session, the State Bar will send your supervisor an email asking about your progress over the last six-month study period. Your supervisor is required to attest whether you have demonstrated sufficient academic progress to continue to the next study session for each six-month period. If your supervisor does not provide a positive attestation or fails to provide one, your participation in the program will be terminated, unless the requirements of State Bar rule 4.29(N)(1)–(2) are met.

You will be given a due date by which you must respond to each request from the State Bar/CPA reviewer. It is important to communicate proactively if you need more time, as deadlines are designed to keep the review on track.

To qualify for an exemption, supporting documentation must show gross revenue (gross receipts) before expenses are deducted of $150,000 or less. The supporting documentation is generally Schedule C of the attorney’s tax return. There is no appeal process because the criteria is objective.

Prior to the March 30, 2026, deadline, you can make changes to your pro bono hours reporting by going to My State Bar Profile, navigating to the Summary tab (located on the top navigation bar), and selecting “Edit your Pro Bono Hours” from the Pro Bono Hours tile (located about three-quarters of the way down the page).

Yes. Attorneys newly admitted to the State Bar of California must complete NAT during their first year as California licensees, even if they previously practiced law in another jurisdiction. There are no exemptions from NAT based on prior legal experience or admission elsewhere. (Rule 2.143.)

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.