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.

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.

To search for certified specialists, please visit the Attorney Search webpage, select the Certified Specialists link, and use the drop down to search by certified legal specialty.  You can further refine the results by adding geographic limitations (e.g., city or county). 

A number of legal services providers have projects specifically designed to use your skills as a transactional lawyer. In addition, there are many types of pro bono litigation matters, including some that may be of interest to you. Providers generally offer training and mentoring so you are well-supported throughout the pro bono engagement.

Submit the Application for Transfer to Inactive Status. To be eligible for the inactive fee the following year, you must submit the Transfer to Inactive Status form by December 1 and the effective date of the transfer must be on or before December 31. A Transfer to Inactive Status form submitted after December 1 or with an effective date after December 31 will not reduce the active fees owed. View detailed instructions and access the required form.

Each file is handled individually. Processing time depends on whether we receive complete information. A Foreign Legal Consultant application cannot be approved until you have received a positive moral character determination. Generally, the moral character review process can take a minimum of six months to complete.

An applicant must:

• have been admitted to practice law and have been in good standing as an attorney, counselor at law, or equivalent in a foreign country for at least four of the six years immediately preceding the application, and have actually practiced the law of that country;
• possess good moral character (an Application for Determination of Moral Character is required and will be processed by the Office of Admissions in the same manner as for California bar applicants); and
• provide the Office of Admissions with a written statement agreeing to maintain required security for claims for errors, omissions, and dishonest conduct.

Maintains, on behalf of the California Supreme Court, the official roll of attorneys—the records of all attorneys licensed to practice in California. The office helps licensees comply with their administrative requirements, including the Client Trust Account Protection Program and continuing legal education. The office also manages the registration of law corporations and limited law partnerships.

By law, all lawyers who handle small amounts of money for their clients, or money that is held for a short period of time, must participate in the program.

They must open interest- or dividend-bearing trust accounts at Eligible Financial Institutions and deposit all small and short-term sums into these accounts. They also must report annually to the State Bar whether or not they held a client trust account (including IOLTA) at any time during the prior year.

Once the account is designated an IOLTA account, lawyers are not responsible for ensuring that the interest is accumulated and forwarded to the State Bar.

The financial institutions with which the funds are deposited are responsible for complying with the law, and the IOLTA Program is responsible for monitoring compliance.

Go to Complete Unfinished Test and enter the Tester ID you received for the test. Then click Next. You will be taken to the MCLE article and 20 questions. 

Special Masters are needed in all counties in California. The State Bar attempts to maintain a large list of qualified Special Masters to avoid overburdening individual Special Masters.

You may access the course by logging in to My State Bar Profile and entering the E-learning Portal. In the “What do you want to learn?” search box, type “Ethics School” or “CTA School.” Click “Add to Cart” and complete the checkout process. The course is self-paced and available on demand 24/7. You may save your progress and return to the course at any time, prior to the expiration date. The course must be completed within 90 days of purchase.

LAP groups do not focus on the specific treatment of any diagnosis. A structured plan of support is beneficial in the recovery of a variety of problems.

Also, many LAP participants are recovering from both substance use and mental health issues. Feedback from LAP participants confirms that benefits are derived from the combined group meetings. The general public is not part of the LAP group meetings.

Depending on the circumstances, the arbitrator will consider several factors in reaching a decision. These may include:

• Whether there was a written fee agreement;
• The value of the attorney’s services;
• Whether the attorney spent an appropriate amount of time on your case;
• Whether there are any billing errors; and
• Whether any professional negligence or misconduct by the attorney affected the value of the services

The arbitrator will decide the matter based on written submissions and the evidence presented at the hearing. The award will be either binding or nonbinding, depending on what the two parties choose.

The State Bar's Mandatory Fee Arbitration Program is an informal, confidential, and low-cost forum for resolving fee disputes between attorneys and their clients. Clients have the right to have a neutral party—an “arbitrator"—hear fee disputes with their attorneys. The arbitrator determines whether the fees and costs charged by the attorney are reasonable for the services provided.

This kind of arbitration is mandatory for a lawyer if requested by a client.

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.

An attorney licensed to practice law in one or more U.S. jurisdictions other than California who is providing litigation services in California as part of legal proceedings pending or anticipated either in California or another jurisdiction. See General Information FAQs for additional information.

No, that fact alone is not a ground for denial.

No. Rule 9.47 applies only to litigation services in connection with litigation pending or anticipated either in California or another jurisdiction. If your anticipated authorization to appear in a formal legal proceeding serves as the basis for practice under rule 9.47, you must seek that authorization promptly once it becomes possible to do so. Failure to seek authorization promptly, or denial of that authorization, ends your eligibility to practice under rule 9.47.

Yes. Within the first 12 months after approval of your application for registration as a legal services attorney, you must complete the same 25 hours of MCLE activities that members 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.