On November 14, 2024, the State Bar's Board of Trustees approved a policy that would allow administrative suspensions, including administrative inactive enrollments, to be removed from an attorney's public profile page on the State Bar website. This policy aims to provide a way for attorneys who have had administrative suspensions to have those records removed from their attorney profile page after a certain period of time.
Administrative suspensions (temporary suspensions due to issues like failing to pay fees or meet certain requirements) will be removed:
- The first two administrative suspensions will be automatically removed at the end of the suspension period.
- If two or more have been removed previously, additional suspensions will be removed 4 years after the end date of each suspension.
- Multiple suspensions occurring within 60 days will be counted as a single suspension for removal purposes.
Note: On July 7, 2025, the State Bar submitted a Rule of Court 9.33 Petition (with supporting Appendix of Exhibits Volume 1 and Volume 2) to the Supreme Court. The petition requests approval of a proposed Rule of Court that would, if approved, provide for one-time automatic expungement of the State Bar’s public records of nondisbarment attorney discipline after eight years for attorneys with only one discipline, subject to certain criteria. The petition is pending with the Court in Case No. S291807; you can obtain more information, and sign up for automatic updates about the matter, on the Court’s online docket.
Frequently asked questions
How can I view all information on an attorney, including the nondisciplinary actions?
To view an attorney’s full profile, including nondisciplinary actions (administrative suspensions and administrative inactive enrollments) not displayed on their public profile, please submit a public records request.
Why is there administrative action information due to a nondisciplinary action still on the State Bar’s Attorney Profile page?
Information that is still on the attorney profile page may not have been removed because two or more administrative suspensions have been removed previously. Additional suspensions will be removed 4 years after the end date of each suspension.
What is the reason for the removal of administrative suspension from attorney profiles?
This policy was an extension of the recommendation by the Ad Hoc Commission on the Discipline System to expunge discipline after a specified period of time. The Board of Trustees adopted this policy as a means of balancing the public’s right to know with the attorney’s ability to move past prior administrative actions.
How can I find the current license status of an attorney who has been administratively suspended before?
Please visit the attorney’s profile page to view their current license status. To find an attorney’s profile page, please use the State Bar’s attorney search tool. This policy does not impact the display of an attorney’s current status.
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