The California bar limits complaints for events that occurred within the last five years. The statute of limitations for legal malpractices is one year, generally from the time representation ends.
The State Bar is led by a Board of Trustees and managed by staff who have served the legal profession and the state in various leadership roles.
The Contact Center is closed on State Bar holidays. To speak with a representative, please call 800-843-9053 if you are in California. If you are calling from out-of-state, please call 415-538-2000.
California was one of the first states to unify its bar (1927). A unified, or integrated bar, means simply that membership is mandatory for all attorneys who are licensed to practice law in the state.
Practicing lawyers in California must be licensed by the State Bar. The State Bar's admission requirements are set by the California Business and Professions Code.
You cannot practice law anywhere in the United States if you are not a licensed attorney. You cannot be licensed to practice law in the state of California without passing a bar examination.
For more than 80 years, the State Bar of California manages the admission of lawyers in California into practice, investigates complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribes appropriate discipline for misconduct. California was one of the first states to unify its bar and make it mandatory, and it is the only ...
Transition Away from the MBE: Starting in 2025, California will no longer use the National Conference of Bar Examiners' (NCBE) Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) for its multiple-choice component. Instead, Kaplan will develop new multiple-choice questions specific to California.
Is The California Bar Exam Hard? Yes, the California bar exam is widely considered to be the most difficult of all state bar exams in the US. The California bar exam has a pass rate of 34%.
California Bar Examination All other attorney applicants must take the general bar exam. Please note that the State Bar does not offer reciprocity or accept bar exam scores from another jurisdiction.