About the registryUsing the registry
Why can't I find an attorney I know is licensed?
Usually the name is spelled differently on the roll than in life — many attorneys are on the record under a former or full legal name. A few records are also held out of publication. Searching the bar number instead of the name settles it either way.
The registry follows The State Bar of California's roll, so a record appears as the roll holds it. Middle names, hyphenated surnames and names changed after admission are the usual explanation.
A small number of records are deliberately not published — for example the regulator's own test entries. Those are absent by design and their absence says nothing about the person.
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Legal information, not legal advice.