Title BPC — California Bus. & Prof. Code

(a) The State Bar of California is authorized and directed to participate as a state agency in the Interagency Intercept Collections Program established pursuant to Section 12419.2 of the Government Code for the collection of any unpaid amounts owed to the State Bar of California…

(a) Any entity of the State Bar of California exploring a regulatory sandbox shall do all of the following: (1) Prioritize protecting individuals, especially those in need of legal assistance, from unscrupulous actors, including those actors seeking to do business in the legal fi…

Unless the contrary is stated or clearly appears from the context, the definitions set forth in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 82000) of Title 9 of the Government Code shall govern the interpretation of this article.

(a) Any member of the board of trustees shall disqualify themself from making, participating in the making of, or attempting to influence any decisions of the State Bar in which the member has a financial interest, as that term is defined in Section 87103 of the Government Code, …

No action or decision of the State Bar shall be invalid because of the participation therein by a member or members of the board of trustees in violation of Section 6036. However, any member who intentionally violates the provisions of subdivision (a) of Section 6036 is guilty of…

Attorney members of the Judicial Council, members of the Commission on Judicial Performance who are not judges, and employees designated in the Conflict of Interest Code of the State Bar of California are subject to provisions of this article with respect to making, participating…

(a) Every person who reports to the State Bar or causes a complaint to be filed with the State Bar that an attorney has engaged in professional misconduct, knowing the report or complaint to be false and malicious, is guilty of a misdemeanor. (b) The State Bar may, in its discret…

The chief trial counsel, with or without the filing or presentation of any complaint, may initiate and conduct investigations of all matters affecting or relating to: (a) The discipline of the licensees of the State Bar. (b) The acts or practices of a person whom the chief trial …

(a) When an investigation or formal proceeding concerns alleged misconduct which may subject a licensee to criminal prosecution for any felony, or any lesser crime committed during the course of the practice of law, or in any manner that the client of the licensee was a victim, o…

The board may establish an examining committee having the power: (a) To examine all applicants for admission to practice law. (b) To administer the requirements for admission to practice law. (c) To certify to the Supreme Court for admission those applicants who fulfill the requi…

(a) On or before November 30, 2026, the Committee of Bar Examiners shall provide a report to the board of trustees, the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, and to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code on whether…

Three of the public members of the examining committee shall be appointed by the Senate Rules Committee, three of the public members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, and three of the public members shall be appointed by the Governor. They shall serve for a term …

(a) (1) (A) The Committee of Bar Examiners shall not alter the bar examination in a manner that requires the substantial modification of the training or preparation required for passage of the examination, except after giving two years’ notice of that change. (B) This requirement…

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the examining committee shall be responsible for the approval, regulation, and oversight of degree-granting unaccredited law schools that meet both of the following: (1) Award the juris doctor (J.D.) professional degree in California. (2) Are no…

(a) At least once every seven years, or more frequently if directed by the Supreme Court, the board of trustees shall oversee an evaluation of the bar examination to determine if it properly tests for minimally needed competence for entry-level attorneys and shall make a determin…

Subject to the approval of the board, the examining committee may adopt such reasonable rules and regulations as may be necessary or advisable for the purpose of making effective the qualifications prescribed in Article 4.

(a) Upon the trial and hearing of all matters, the State Bar Court may do all of the following: (1) Take and hear evidence pertaining to the proceeding. (2) Administer oaths and affirmations. (3) Compel, by subpoena, the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers…

(a) In any disciplinary proceeding under this chapter, a certified copy of a final order made by any court of record or any body authorized by law or by rule of court to conduct disciplinary proceedings against attorneys, of the United States or of any state or territory of the U…

In all disciplinary proceedings pursuant to this chapter, the testimony of a witness given in a contested civil action or special proceeding to which the person complained against is a party, or in whose behalf the action or proceeding is prosecuted or defended, may be received i…

Whenever any person subpoenaed to appear and give testimony or to produce books, papers or documents refuses to appear or testify before the subpoenaing body, or to answer any pertinent or proper questions, or to produce such books, papers or documents, he or she is in contempt o…

The State Bar Court or the chief trial counsel may report the fact that a person under subpoena is in contempt of the subpoenaing body to the superior court in and for the county in which the proceeding, investigation or other matter is being conducted and thereupon the court may…

A motion to quash a subpoena issued pursuant to Section 6049 shall be brought in the State Bar Court.

The State Bar Court or the chief trial counsel, or their designee, may administer oaths and issue any subpoena pursuant to Section 6049. Depositions may be taken and used as provided in the rules of procedure adopted by the board pursuant to this chapter.

Whenever in an investigation or proceeding provided for or authorized by this chapter, the mental or physical condition of the licensee of the State Bar is a material issue, the board or the committee having jurisdiction may order the licensee to be examined by one or more physic…

(a) State and local law enforcement and licensing bodies and departments, officers and employees thereof, and officials and attachés of the courts of this state shall cooperate with and give reasonable assistance and information, including the providing of state summary criminal …

This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the Nonprofit Association Act.

(a) The State Bar, acting pursuant to Section 6001, shall assist the Sections of the State Bar to incorporate as a private, nonprofit corporation organized under Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code and shall transfer the functions and activities of the 16 State Bar Sec…

(a) On or before January 31, 2018, the State Bar shall transfer to the Association all membership fees and other funds paid for membership in the sections or paid in sponsorships, donations, or funds for the benefit of the sections, including, but not limited to, State Bar sectio…

To be certified to the Supreme Court for admission and a license to practice law, a person who has not been admitted to practice law in a sister state, United States jurisdiction, possession, territory, or dependency or in a foreign country shall: (a) Be at least 18 years of age.…

(a) Any disciplinary action taken against an individual at a university or an accredited law school for violation of university or law school rules of conduct shall not be used as the sole basis for denying the individual admission to practice law in the State of California. (b) …

(a) Commencing July 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the State Bar shall transmit to the Legislature a report detailing the number of complaints regarding access issues related to the biannual state bar exam detailed as follows: (1) The testing location in which the complaints o…

(a) All investigations or proceedings conducted by the State Bar concerning the moral character of an applicant shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed pursuant to any state law, including, but not limited to, the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing wi…

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, any identifying information submitted by an applicant to the State Bar for admission and a license to practice law and all State Bar admission records, including, but not limited to, bar examination scores, law school grade point average (GPA), …

(a) An application to take the California bar examination administered in February must be filed with the State Bar not later than the first business day of the preceding November, and an application to take the California bar examination administered in July must be filed with t…

Neither the board, nor any committee authorized by it, shall require that applicants for admission to practice law in California pass different final bar examinations depending upon the manner or school in which they acquire their legal education. This section shall not prohibit …

Notwithstanding Section 30 of this code and Section 17520 of the Family Code, the Committee of Bar Examiners may accept for registration, and the State Bar may process for an original or renewed license to practice law, an application from an individual containing a federal tax i…

The examining committee shall be responsible for the approval, regulation, and oversight of degree-granting law schools that meet both of the following: (a) Award the juris doctor (J.D.) professional degree in California. (b) Are not approved by the American Bar Association.

Approval of any agency or agencies not existing under and by virtue of the laws of this State shall not be made a condition for accreditation of any California law school.

Any law school that is not accredited by the examining committee of the State Bar shall provide every student with a disclosure statement, subsequent to the payment of any application fee but prior to the payment of any registration fee, containing all of the following informatio…

A law school that is not accredited by the examining committee of the State Bar may refer to itself as a university or part of a university and, if it so refers to itself, shall state whether or not the law school is associated with an undergraduate school.

(a) Any law school that is not approved by the American Bar Association shall publicly disclose on its Internet Web site, with a link from the Internet home page under “Admissions,” all of the following information: (1) Admissions data. (2) Tuition, fees, and financial aid. (3) C…

(a) To be certified to the Supreme Court for admission, and a license to practice law, a person who has been admitted to practice law in a sister state, United States jurisdiction, possession, territory, or dependency the United States may hereafter acquire shall: (1) Be of the a…

Applicants for admission to practice shall pay such reasonable fees, fixed by the board, as may be necessary to defray the expense of administering the provisions of this chapter, relating to admission to practice. These fees shall be collected by the State Bar and paid into the …

(a) Upon certification by the examining committee that the applicant has fulfilled the requirements for admission to practice law, the Supreme Court may admit the applicant as an attorney at law in all the courts of this state and may direct an order to be entered upon its record…

No person who advocates the overthrow of the Government of the United States or of this State by force, violence, or other unconstitutional means, shall be certified to the Supreme Court for admission and a license to practice law.

Any applicant for admission to practice who did not pass the California bar examination, for 30 days following the release of examination results, shall have electronic access to their answers to the written sessions of the bar examination, which shall include the ability to down…

Any person refused certification to the Supreme Court for admission to practice may have the action of the board, or of any committee authorized by the board to make a determination on its behalf, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, reviewed by the Supreme Court, in accor…

Every person on his admission shall take an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California, and faithfully to discharge the duties of any attorney at law to the best of his knowledge and ability. A certificate of the oath sha…

It is the duty of an attorney to do all of the following: (a) To support the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this state. (b) To maintain the respect due to the courts of justice and judicial officers. (c) To counsel or maintain those actions, proceedings, or def…

(a) Every licensee of the State Bar shall be deemed by operation of this law to have irrevocably authorized the disclosure to the State Bar and the Supreme Court pursuant to Section 7473 of the Government Code of any and all financial records held by financial institutions as def…