How do I check a California attorney's discipline record?

Public discipline appears on the attorney's own profile in the State Bar of California's licensee records at apps.calbar.ca.gov, alongside the licence status. Disciplinary matters are adjudicated by the State Bar Court, and a record showing no public discipline means none has been imposed and made public — not that no complaint has ever been made.

Look the attorney up in the State Bar of California's licensee records at apps.calbar.ca.gov. Public discipline is published on the attorney's own profile, next to the licence status, and typically identifies what was imposed and when. Discipline in California is adjudicated by the State Bar Court, a dedicated tribunal, with the more serious outcomes — suspension and disbarment — ordered by the California Supreme Court. Read an empty discipline section carefully. It means no public discipline has been imposed, which is the ordinary case for the overwhelming majority of attorneys. It does not mean no complaint has ever been filed: complaints that are investigated and closed without charges are not public, and pending investigations are generally confidential until formal charges are filed. So the record is a reliable answer to "has this attorney been publicly disciplined" and not an answer to "has anyone ever complained". Also check the status field itself while you are there. An attorney can be suspended for reasons that are administrative rather than disciplinary — unpaid fees or unmet continuing-education requirements — and either way, section 6125 means they may not practise while that is true.

Authority: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 6125; State Bar Court of California