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No. The State Bar is unable to extend the period to request administrative review. The CBE will decide whether to accept an untimely request for administrative review.
The CBE will review your request and your application. The CBE may take any action it deems appropriate, including but not limited to granting you a positive determination, requesting more information, extending an offer of abeyance, or rendering an adverse determination.
If the CBE declines to grant you a positive determination, it will decide how long you must wait before you may submit a new Application for Determination of Moral Character, which could be the same or different from the time that was set by State Bar staff when it made the initial determination.
The notice of the adverse determination will provide you with the date on which you may submit a new Application for Determination of Moral Character. You are encouraged to engage in affirmative rehabilitative activities during the period you must wait to reapply.
Alternatively, you may choose to request administrative review by the Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE). If you request review by the CBE, the date on which you will be eligible to reapply may change, as it will be determined by the CBE in the event it issues an adverse determination.
Please call 415-538-2450 and ask to speak with the Moral Character Person of the Day. Please be prepared to email a screenshot if the issue cannot be resolved over the phone. Some issues may take more time to resolve if technical assistance is necessary.
Some applicants have traveled extensively in the past three years and have numerous addresses to report on the moral character application. You are encouraged to provide as much information pertaining to each residence as can be reasonably recalled. You are responsible for the complete and accurate reporting of information on the application to the best of your ability, and the failure to provide complete responses could result in a delay in the processing of the application.
You must disclose all residences for the past three years, regardless of how long you resided at the location.
No. You are only required to disclose the addresses of the places you have lived within the past three years, including college and law school residences.
No. Some references may not be contacted. You may wish to remind your references to check their email spam folders periodically and to use the Google Chrome internet browser, if possible, when submitting the questionnaires to avoid potential technical issues.
Report military enlistment in the “Current/Previous Employment section” and the “Military Services” section of the moral character application. List your last duty station, supervisor, date of enlistment, and date of discharge (or the date you left active duty if you are currently on inactive status). An applicant who is discharged from active duty must also provide a DD-214 military discharge document that clearly indicates the type of discharge.
Contact the employer and attempt to obtain the information. If you do not remember your supervisor’s name or your supervisor is no longer with the business, please enter "Human Resources" into the Full Name of Supervisor field and enter the appropriate information into the Email Address of Supervisor and Phone Number of Supervisor fields.
If the company is no longer in business (defunct), contact information will not be required once you indicate that the company is no longer in business.
Do NOT use your own email address or phone number.
The State Bar does not refer clients to lawyers or provide legal advice. We provide a directory of certified Lawyer Referral Services in your area who may be able to help you find a lawyer. Please see our Find Legal Professionals section for resources. The State Bar also publishes free legal information for consumers.
If you believe your lawyer has done something wrong, you can file a complaint with the State Bar. Complaints may be submitted online or by mail. If you have questions or need assistance in completing the form, call the State Bar’s Attorney Complaint Hotline at 800-843-9053. For more information on reporting a lawyer to the State Bar and handling other problems, read the legal guide If You Have a Problem with an Attorney.
If you have a complaint about a certified or uncertified LRS, you can file a complaint against the service with the State Bar. In order to promote public protection, the State Bar will review your complaint to determine if the LRS has violated Business and Professions Code Section 6155 and State Bar Rules.
For more information on certified lawyer referral services, contact LRS@calbar.ca.gov.
The due date is by March 30, or the next business day if that date falls on a weekend or holiday, each year during the annual license renewal process. The 2025 annual deadline is April 1, 2025. If you miss the deadline, you will be charged a penalty ($103 for active attorneys, $31 for inactive attorneys).
Activities that qualify for general MCLE credit must: (1) relate to legal subjects that are directly relevant to California attorneys, and (2) offer current, significant educational, professional, or practical content with the specific objective of increasing each participant’s professional competency as an attorney. Programs created primarily for nonattorney audiences (for example, general public, clients, or business staff) do not qualify and will not be approved for general MCLE credit. More on Standards for MCLE activity Approval.
IOLTA stands for Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts. Attorneys deposit client funds that they plan to hold briefly, or that are too small to earn interest for the client, into larger shared accounts. Over 73,000 attorneys make deposits in approximately 49,000 IOLTA accounts in California. As of September 2019, IOLTA accounts hold nearly $5 billion. Any interest earned on these accounts is paid by financial institutions to the State Bar, which in turn distributes those funds as grants to qualified nonprofit civil legal organizations throughout the state.
Refer to the State Bar’s IOLTA FAQ page for more information.
You can download and print a paper bar card or order a plastic card after you log in to My State Bar Profile and pay your fees.
The Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE; JNE Commission), is an agency of the State Bar created by statute for the express purpose of evaluating judicial candidates nominated by the Governor. The language of the statute, Government Code section 12011.5, is mandatory. It provides that, prior to exercising their constitutional right to make judicial appointments, the Governor shall submit to JNE the names of all potential appointees or nominees for judicial office for evaluation of their judicial qualifications. The commission operates pursuant to rules and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the State Bar.
To operate in California, all lawyer referral services must be certified by the State Bar of California. The reason for this is to provide public protection. To qualify for certification, an LRS must meet certain standards approved by the California Supreme Court and enforced by the State Bar. If you use one of the certified services, you can be assured of the following:
All lawyers who participate in a certified LRS must carry malpractice insurance.
All certified LRSs have lawyers with experience in many legal areas such as family law, personal injury, probate and landlord-tenant law. Many LRSs have subject matter panels, on which lawyers can serve only if they have demonstrated experience in a certain legal area or meet certain other requirements.
There are consumer protections when using a certified LRS’ automated referral system. Some LRSs can assess a potential client’s needs and find a referral to a lawyer through an automated system outside of regular business hours. This may be especially helpful if you need to search for a lawyer in the evenings or on weekends. If you experience problems with the automated system or need help, you should contact the LRS by email or phone during regular business hours.
A certified LRS can give you information about other services or programs if your issue does not require lawyer assistance. Some problems may at first seem to require a lawyer’s help, but actually may not. For example, you may have a problem that can be handled by a rent control board, small claims advisor, or community mediation program. An LRS may be able to direct you to government agencies or other organizations that may be better suited to assist you.
All certified LRSs are required to offer services for people of limited means at a reduced rate. See FAQ #2 for more information.
Review our tips on finding the right lawyer. Most county bar associations also offer Lawyer Referral Services. The State Bar cannot refer clients to lawyers, and we cannot offer legal advice.
The State Bar of California licenses more than 250,000 attorneys. For more details, go to Bar Numbers.
The State Bar's Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission (JNE) reviews the qualifications of judicial nominees submitted by the governor of California. Find additional information about JNE, including how to serve on the commission.
Using Zoom software, providers can track the time at which attendees log in and log out of each session. It is also acceptable to use codes or pop-up verification windows throughout the virtual presentation as methods of verifying attendance.
The provider’s Record of Attendance form must include the bar numbers of all California licensees participating in the activity. It is the provider’s responsibility to obtain this information from the attorney prior to submitting their Record of Attendance form to the State Bar.
No. Except for the credit hours awarded, the certificate is the same for both speakers and nonspeakers.
Calculate your total gross annual individual income for 2024 using your 2024 W-2’s, 1099’s, and any other source of gross income that would be included in your 2024 federal tax return.
Gross individual income means all income from whatever source derived, including (but not limited to) the following items: wages, salaries, tips, interest, rents, social security, unemployment, disability, royalties, dividends, annuities, retirement distributions, pensions, etc. (exception: spouse’s wages and salaries, as noted above).
For example, when using the 2024 Form 1040, you may refer to Total Income on Line 9 to determine if you are eligible. If you use Schedule C to calculate profit or loss from your business, then the grossincome amount on line 7 would be included in yourtotal gross annual individual income.
Refer to the IRS Form 1040 instructions to determine what items are included in your Total Income on Line 9.
You will be required to enter into a Settlement and Release of Claims Agreement with the State Bar and pay the full settlement amount either immediately in one lump sum or in installments by December 31, 2025. The State Bar will thereafter consider the eligible debt as itemized in the Fresh Start Settlement Program Platform paid in full for all purposes, including for purposes of return to active status or reinstatement to the practice of law. The State Bar will make no further effort to collect on the debt, including but not limited to, referral of debt to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), credit reporting agencies, entry of a Superior Court money judgment, our pursing other legal action.
You will enter your State Bar Number and PIN, and you will see how much you owe the State Bar. Click “Settlement Offer” to receive an offer to settle your debt.
Paying the settlement all at once entitles you to an additional five percent reduction in the amount owed.
The State Bar is authorized to participate in the FTB tax intercept program pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 6034. Section 6304 provides that the State Bar is authorized to participate in this program for the “collection of any unpaid amount owed to the State Bar of California, including any fine, penalty, assessment, cost, or reimbursement imposed under sections 6806.10, 6140.5c, and any other applicable law.”
The State Bar is also authorized to participate in the FTB Court Ordered Debt program pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code section 19280 (as revised in January 2019). Revenue and Taxation Code section 19280 provides that the State Bar is authorized to participate in this program for “any amounts due pursuant to Section 6086.10 or 6140.5 of the Business and Professions Code.”
An employer may participate in the program as either a committed participating employer or a seal recipient. To be recognized as a committed participating employer, an employer must commit to implementing at least five of the ten Action Items. Committed participating employers will have one year to implement the selected Action Items. The one-year implementation window starts when an employer’s application is approved. Once an employer implements at least five of the ten Action Items, it may be deemed a seal recipient.
Committed participating employers will be listed on the State Bar website. DEI Leadership Seal recipients will also be listed on the State Bar website and receive a seal that they can use on their web and print materials to signal their participation in the program to employees, job candidates, clients, and more.
No. The DEI Leadership Seal Program is voluntary.
DEI Leadership Seal recipients can use the seal on their website and print materials, including on their career website and job postings, promotional materials to clients, email signatures, and more.
Please email refund@calbar.ca.gov.
State Bar research showed that racial disparities in discipline outcomes can be partially explained by racial disparities in attorneys having representation as they engaged in disciplinary proceedings.
The commission learned about the State Bar Court’s Appointed Counsel Program, a program that appoints counsel when a licensee asserts a claim of insanity or mental incompetence or when the State Bar Court finds the licensee unable to perform competently due to mental infirmity or illness.
As a result, the commission recommended that the Board of Trustees:
Eligibility for the program would be limited to attorneys who qualify for reduced license fees (2022 threshold is $60,500 in gross annual individual income from all sources).
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