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. You must take your first eligible California Bar Examination as determined by the State Bar; otherwise, you are not eligible to apply to participate in the program.

You will not receive credit for hours of study devoted to repetition of studies previously completed and you will lose credit for the entire six-month study session.

You may contact the assigned State Bar accountant or CPA firm’s accountant directly via the contact information they provide when the review begins. You may also reach out to the State Bar’s CTAPP team for questions. The contact information for the State Bar team was included in the initial notice of selection for audit.

After you select a CPA firm and the State Bar has assigned the compliance review engagement to the CPA firm, you will be contacted directly by the CPA firm, who may request additional records, ask clarifying questions, and coordinate with you for the remainder of the compliance review process. The State Bar will remain available to assist if needed.

Possibly. Uncompensated work with an LRS oversight panel may count toward the pro bono hours requirement if it enables the delivery of legal services at a charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental, or education organization in matters in furtherance of its organizational purposes as defined under Business and Professions Code section 6073.1(c)(1)(C). Licensees should use their best judgment when determining whether the work performed, particularly non-legal tasks, enables the direct provision of legal work to the indigent or other nonprofit organizations.

No. Comparable courses from other providers do not satisfy the NAT requirement.

You may receive MCLE credit for qualifying NAT course hours, as applicable, but outside MCLE courses cannot be substituted for the required State Bar NAT courses. 

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.

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.)

The cost is $275 per month, which is paid to the clinician who facilitates the group. Groups fees are assessed monthly, not on a week-to-week basis. Financial assistance is available for qualified participants.

No. A broad range of pro bono activities do not require direct, full representation, and/or court appearances. Many legal services and pro bono programs have volunteer opportunities at clinics and hotlines. Your only commitment is for the time spent at the clinic or covering the hotline. California courts allow unbundled (or limited scope) services, so that you can draft pleadings only or take on just a portion of the representation without committing to full representation.

The State Bar’s Office of Chief Trial Counsel handles complaints about unethical attorney conduct from several different sources, including clients, family and friends of clients, courts, opposing counsel, members of the public or other third parties, and anonymous submissions.

An inquiry is opened for every written communication that involves a complaint about an attorney’s conduct. After the inquiry is evaluated, the accused attorney may be diverted out of the system, or the inquiry may be closed.

If it appears that the attorney may be a repeat offender or may have committed a violation where there is a serious likelihood of discipline being imposed, an investigator and a State Bar prosecutor take responsibility for the investigation.

The accused attorney is given an opportunity to respond, witnesses are contacted, and documents are reviewed. At the investigation’s conclusion, the State Bar decides whether to:

• Dismiss the complaint,
• Impose an informal confidential resolution, or
• File disciplinary charges.

The Notice of Disciplinary Charges is filed in State Bar Court, where it is assigned to a hearing judge. The accused attorney then must file an answer or risk a default judgment or involuntary enrollment as an inactive bar member.

If a settlement cannot be reached, the case goes to trial in State Bar Court. After the trial, the hearing judge issues a written decision. Either side may appeal the decision to the State Bar Court’s Review Department.

The California Supreme Court is the final arbiter in attorney discipline cases.

Fees are listed in the Schedule of Charges and Deadlines.

Applications are available in the Applicant Portal. You must create an account using your name, email address, and password to gain access to the Applicant Portal.