This form is a sample letter in Word format covering the subject matter of the title of the form.
This form is a sample letter in Word format covering the subject matter of the title of the form.
The country's thirty-one mandatory state bar associations are fac- ing an existential threat following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Janus v. ACSME, 138 S. Ct. 2448 (2018).
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.
Contact Center 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.
To verify an attorney's recent admission to, or current membership status with, the bar of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, please use the Court's online Attorney Bar Membership Status Lookup Tool.
California has the most difficult bar examination in the country. The pass rate on the California bar exam is the consistently the lowest in the US, and it's usually several percentage points lower than the other states. New York, on the other hand, is an unusually easy state to pass the bar examination in.
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.
All applicants for admission to practice law in California must receive a passing score on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination and pass the California Bar Examination.
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: Licenses attorneys and regulates the profession and practice of law in California. Enforces Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys. Disciplines attorneys who violate rules and laws.