Professional License
How to Verify an Attorney's Bar License
Attorney bar admissions are granted and regulated by state supreme courts through state bar associations. There is no national bar — an attorney admitted in California is not automatically authorized to practice in New York. Here is how to verify bar admission and disciplinary status.
Quick answer
Search the state bar association in each state where the attorney practices — every state bar maintains a free public member directory. All show admission status ("Active," "Inactive," "Suspended," "Disbarred") and disciplinary history. For federal court appearances, check PACER (pacer.gov) for the relevant federal court. The ABA's national directory supplements but does not replace state bar lookups.
State bar lookups: where to go
Each state maintains its own bar member directory. Most are free and searchable by name, bar number, or city. The directory returns admission date, admission status, and any public disciplinary actions.
Key state bar association portals
- California: State Bar of California — calbar.ca.gov (Attorney Search)
- Texas: State Bar of Texas — texasbar.com (Find an Attorney)
- New York: NY State Unified Court System — iapps.courts.state.ny.us/attorney
- Florida: Florida Bar — floridabar.org (Find a Lawyer)
- Illinois: Illinois ARDC — iardc.org (Lawyer Search)
- All states: ABA directory — americanbar.org/find-legal-help/lawyer-locator
Verify in every state where the attorney claims to practice. An attorney with multi-state practice claims must be admitted (or hold pro hac vice permission) in each state where they appear.
Understanding admission status
| Status | Meaning | Can Practice? |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Licensed and in good standing; continuing education current | Yes |
| Inactive | Admitted but not practicing in this state; typically paying reduced dues | No (must reactivate) |
| Suspended | Disciplinary suspension; cannot practice until reinstated | No |
| Disbarred | Bar admission revoked; cannot practice law in this state | No |
| Resigned | Voluntarily surrendered license (sometimes during investigation) | No |
Disciplinary history
State bar member directories include public disciplinary actions. The most serious actions — suspension and disbarment — are always public. Private reprimands and some minor sanctions may not appear in the public directory.
For attorneys practicing in multiple states, check disciplinary records in each state separately. Disbarment in one state does not automatically trigger disbarment in other states — but many states have reciprocal discipline rules that initiate proceedings when another state acts.
The ABA maintains a national lawyer regulatory data bank (ABA NLRD) accessible to bar admission authorities. This is not publicly available — contact individual state bars for disciplinary history searches.
Federal court and patent bar admissions
Attorneys admitted to state court are not automatically admitted to federal courts. Federal court admissions are granted separately by each federal district court or circuit court.
- PACER (pacer.gov): Access federal court filing records to confirm an attorney's appearance history in federal courts
- USPTO Patent Bar: Attorneys claiming to be registered patent attorneys or agents must be registered with the USPTO — verify at patentcenter.uspto.gov
- Tax Court Bar: Attorneys claiming to practice before the US Tax Court must be admitted there — verify at ustaxcourt.gov
Verification checklist
- 1. Identify every state where the attorney claims to practice
- 2. Search the state bar in each state — confirm Active status in all claimed jurisdictions
- 3. Review any disciplinary history entries — note type and outcome of each action
- 4. For federal court practice — verify federal court admissions via PACER or the specific court
- 5. For patent work — verify USPTO registration at patentcenter.uspto.gov
- 6. Verify law school — confirm JD from an ABA-accredited law school
Verify law school credentials alongside bar admission
Bar admission requires graduation from an ABA-accredited law school in most states. Use VerifyED to confirm that a claimed JD comes from a legitimate, accredited institution — and identify diploma mills posing as law schools.
Search Schools and Accreditation →