Applications are considered on an individual basis, and no two applications are the same. Processing times are affected by variables such as the relative complexity of an applicant’s history. It typically takes 180 days or more from the date an application is deemed complete to finish processing the application. You are permitted to submit a moral character application any time after you meet the eligibility requirements by commencing the study of law and registering with the State Bar as a law student or an attorney applicant. Applicants are encouraged to submit a moral character application before the start of their last year of law study.

Yes. Pending criminal matters must be disclosed, and section 1203.4 requires disclosure of the underlying conviction in response to any direct question contained in an application for licensure by a state agency.

No. Neither indebtedness nor bankruptcy necessarily is relevant to a moral character determination. Moral character issues may arise if indebtedness was handled irresponsibly, or bankruptcy was used to defraud creditors.

You should list people who are knowledgeable about you and do not appear as an employment reference elsewhere in the application. Additionally, your personal references may not be related to you by blood; be your spouse, partner, or significant other; or be related to you through your spouse, partner, or significant other. Only one may be a law professor from whom you have received instruction.

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.

No. However, you will receive a courtesy copy of your application via email for your records. 

After an application has been submitted, you will not be able to access the application or make any edits to it in the Applicant Portal. You should submit updates or amendments by posting the information to your moral character case feed.

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.

You may request to study under a different attorney or judge by submitting a new LOS application, the required documentation, and the fee in the Applicant Portal at least 15 days prior to beginning study with the new supervisor. The new application must include a completed declaration signed by the new supervising attorney or judge and a new law study outline.

If you change the attorney or judge under whom you are studying during a six-month study period, you must submit a report from your previous attorney or judge that indicates all study completed with that person, along with the semi-annual report fee in the Applicant Portal, within 30 days of beginning study with the new attorney or judge. Within 30 days of completion of the six-month study period, you will also have to submit a semi-annual report reflecting the study conducted under the new attorney or judge that covers the remainder of the six-month study period.

Professional monitoring can be provided for as long as a participant wants it. If an attorney is required to successfully complete the LAP (often required by the State Bar’s discipline system), the attorney will have several goals to meet, including a minimum of three continuous years of sobriety and/or mental health stability.

The California Bar Exam is scheduled two times a year in February and July. The application as an immediate repeater is available online after the results are posted, usually in mid-May and mid-November. You can register for the next exam on the State Bar website. After the deadline, you will have to pay a late fee.