How to check a lawyer’s license

Why check

Each state licenses its own lawyers, through its own bar. The bar’s own record is the place to confirm the license, see the lawyer’s status, and find public discipline. An ad, a directory page or a firm’s website can say anything. The bar’s record is kept by the bar.

In California

1. Open the State Bar of California’s State Bar of California: Attorney Search and look the lawyer up.
2. Open the lawyer’s profile and read it. Check that the name matches the person you met and that the license is active.
3. Open the State Bar’s page of State Bar of California: Recent disciplinary actions and see whether the lawyer’s name appears.

If you have a concern about a lawyer, the State Bar’s page on State Bar of California: Concerns about an attorney explains where to take it. If you only want names of lawyers, the State Bar’s page on how to find a lawyer referral service is a place to start.

In Washington

1. Open the Washington State Bar Association’s Washington State Bar Association: Legal Directory and look the lawyer up. When we read it, the Directory said it gives contact information, license information and public discipline, and that it is not an endorsement or a referral.
2. Read the license status and any public discipline shown.
3. Open the Washington State Bar Association: Discipline Notice Directory to see published notices.

How to read what you find

• The name and the city should match the lawyer you met. Common names get confused, so check more than the name.
• The license should be active. If it is not, ask the lawyer why before you go further.
• Public discipline is a reason to read the notice and ask the lawyer about it. It is not always the end of the question, but you are entitled to know.
• A clean record is the minimum, not a recommendation. It tells you the lawyer has not been disciplined. It does not tell you whether the lawyer is right for your case, which is what the ten questions are for.

In another state

Every state has its own bar and its own way to look a lawyer up. This guide states how to check California and Washington lawyers because those are the two the sources above cover. For any other state, search for the name of that state’s bar and use its official site, not a directory that sells listings.

This firm’s lawyers

The firm that publishes this guide names its attorneys, and where each is licensed, on the who we are page. Check them the same way you would check anyone else.