Register with the State Bar

An important message from the State Bar of California:

Registration Application   The Registration application is not an Application to take the California Bar Examination. You must have a US Social Security number to Register with the State Bar of California. Please do not use a Tax Identification Number.  Click here for details.   You only need to register once! If you have an email spam blocker, please add admissions.la@calbar.ca.gov to your contact or safe list.  When you submit your application, you will receive an email confirmation from this email address. Please do not type in foreign accents like õ ú û é á ü ó on the Registration Application. If you do not receive an email confirmation, you have not submitted the Registration Online Application correctly. Most applicants attending California Law Schools registered when they first began the study of law. If you have previously taken an examination administered by the State Bar of California Office of Admissions, you are already registered. If you are also applying for an examination, please be advised that you must have an approved Registration on file within 10 days of submitting your examination application.  Otherwise, your examination application will be terminated. If you previously registered and need to update your record, submit updated information to the Office of Admissions in writing. If you did not receive a  BA or BS degree, undergraduate transcripts are required for approval of your registration. Registration applications may not be withdrawn.  Fees for registration applications that are abandoned because they are incomplete will not be refunded.  Once a Registration is Submitted and Approved, the Registration fee will not be refunded.  Applicants for registration found to be ineligible due to a lack of pre-legal education will qualify for a refund. A Credit Card is required to use the online application system. We ONLY accept VISA and MASTERCARD credit cards.   Debit Cards with the VISA or MASTERCARD logo are also accepted.

Last updated: 11/4/2010 11:53:00 AM PST

Instructions for Registration

The Application for Registration must be filed first, before any other application is transmitted to the Committee. The applicant is required by law either to provide the Committee with a Social Security Number or to request an exemption because of ineligibility for a Social Security Number. Registration is deemed abandoned if all required documentation and fees have not been received within sixty days of filing. No refund is issued for an abandoned registration.

If an attorney or general applicant has registered previously, there is no need to file the registration form or pay the fee. If you would like to access your agreement statement again, use the application manager to access your agreement statement. If you are registering and applying for an examination simultaneously, please forward required transcripts or Certificate of Good Standing, if applicable, 5 days after filing the registration application.

Separate and distinct applications are required for the registration, moral character determination, First-Year Law Students' Examination, California Bar Examination, and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. Please review the schedule of fees for the various application fees.

Summary of Requirements for Admission to Practice Law in California

Please carefully read the summary of requirements for admission to practice law in California before completing the online registration. If you wish to have a copy of the current Admission Rules you can access the Rules on the Internet by visiting the Admissions portion of the State Bar's website at admissions.calbar.ca.gov.

To be admitted to practice law in California, an applicant must:

1. Complete the necessary pre-legal education;
2. File a registration application and be permitted to register as a law student or attorney applicant;
3. Complete the required legal education;
4. File an application, establish eligibility, take and pass the First-Year Law Students' Examination, or establish exemption from the examination;
5. File an application, establish eligibility, take and pass the California Bar Examination;
6. File an application for moral character determination and receive a positive moral character determination from the Committee of Bar Examiners;
7. File an application, take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, and achieve a scaled score of 86.00 or greater, which examination is administered and graded by the National Conference of Bar Examiners;
8. Comply with California court-ordered child or family support obligations.

There is no requirement of citizenship or residency, and there is no reciprocity with other states.

How To Use The State Bar of California's Application for Registration

To complete the online application, simply type your answers in the corresponding fields or select your answers from the pop-up lists (where applicable).

After you complete a screen, click the NEXT button at the bottom or on one of the sections listed on the left column to move to a different screen. Before you are allowed to jump screens, we will inspect your data on the current screen for errors or inconsistencies. If errors or omissions are found, you will be returned to the screen to correct your answer(s). Otherwise, your data will be saved and you will proceed to the requested screen. We also allow you to skip to another screen without your new data being saved. Be aware that if you use the Skip & Jump function on the left column, data on the current screen will not be saved and will have to be re-entered prior to submittal.

Once you have completed the application, click the 'SUBMIT YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION' button located on the last screen to submit the application.

Click here if you have any technical questions or need assistance with this online application.

Returning users: If you have submitted your application and need to access your confirmation page again, log on with your username and password and access the application manager.