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Attorney Licensing Organizations in the U.S.

Attorney Directories by State Bar Associations

Each state regulates the practice of law within its jurisdiction to maintain the profession's integrity and protect the consumer. So how do you know if an attorney is licensed to practice law in a particular jurisdiction?

The best way to confirm that an attorney is licensed to practice law in a particular jurisdiction is to contact the licensing or regulatory agency in that state that grants the bar license. The state bar can help you understand the lawyer's credentials and identify a fake lawyer. 

In most states, the state bar association manages the licensing or regulatory agency. In 44 states and the District of Columbia, the licensing or regulatory agency publishes its database online so the public can quickly determine whether an attorney is licensed, active, and in good standing. Checking the attorney's disciplinary records is an essential first step in understanding a lawyer's reputation within the legal community.

Below are the links to each of those databases. The directory maintained by the state bar or its disciplinary board is sometimes called the "Roster of Attorneys" or the "Roll of Attorneys."

Six (6) states do not publish a searchable database online. In those jurisdictions, you must call or email the state bar to confirm a lawyer's bar license status or bar number.

Each database provides different types of information, including the attorney's name, address, phone number, email address, education, area of practice or specialty, and years in practice.

Most states provide the attorney’s bar number, but some do not. In a few states, the state does not issue a bar license number.


List of State Lawyer Licensing Databases

How do you check whether an attorney has a valid bar license to practice law in a given state? Before you hire an attorney, you might want to confirm whether any disciplinary action was taken against the attorney by a state bar or the court system.

Most bar directories also allow the public to research the attorney's licensing and disciplinary history. If you want to determine whether the attorney has ever been disciplined, suspended, or disbarred, these state bar directories are the best place to start your search.

We created a list of these online attorney directories maintained by the state bar in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. This compilation of state lawyer licensing databases is updated regularly.

Alabama

Alabama State Bar

Address:
    415 Dexter Avenue
    Montgomery, AL 36104
Office: (334) 269-1515
Toll-Free: (800) 354-6154

Alaska

Alaska Bar Association

Address:
    840 K Street
    Suite 100
    Anchorage, AK 99501
Office: (907) 272-7469
Fax: (907) 272-2932

Arizona

State Bar or Arizona

Address:
    4201 North 24th Street
    Suite 100
    Phoenix, AZ 85016
Office: (602) 252-4804
Fax: (602) 271-4930

Arkansas

Arkansas Judiciary

Address:
    625 Marshall Street
    Little Rock, AR 72201
Office: (501) 682-6849

California

The State Bar of California

Address:
    180 Howard Street
    San Francisco, CA 94105
Office: (415) 538-2000
LA Office: (213) 765-1000

Colorado

Colorado Supreme Court

Address:
    1300 Broadway
    Suite 500
    Denver, CO 80202
Office: (303) 457-5800
Toll-Free: (877) 888-1370

Connecticut

Connecticut Judicial Branch

Address:
    231 Capitol Avenue
    Hartford, CT 06106
Office: (860) 296-3848

Delaware

Delaware Supreme Court

Address:
    55 The Green
    Dover, DE 19901
Office: (302) 739-4155

District of Columbia

DC Bar

Address:
    901 4th Street Northwest
    Washington, DC 20001
Office: (202) 737-4700

Florida

The Florida Bar

Address:
    651 East Jefferson Street
    Tallahassee, FL 32399
Office: (850) 561-5600

Georgia

State Bar of Georgia

Address:
    104 Marietta Street NorthWest
    Suite 100
    Atlanta, GA 30303
Office: (404) 527-8700
Toll-Free: (800) 334-6865

Hawaii

Hawaii State Bar Association

Address:
    1100 Alakea Street
    Suite 1000
    Honolulu, HI 96813
Office: (808) 537-1868
LRIS: (808) 537-9140

Idaho

Idaho State Bar

Address:
    525 West Jefferson Street
    Boise, ID 83702
Office: (208) 334-4500

Illinois

Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) of the Supreme Court of Illinois

Address:
    130 West Randolph Street
    Suite 1500
    Chicago, IL 60601
Chicago: (312) 565-2600
Springfield: (217) 546-3523

Indiana

Indiana Judicial Branch

Address:
    251 North Illinois Street
    Suite 550
    Indianapolis, IN 46204
Office: (317) 232-2552
TDD: (317) 233-6112
Fax: (317) 233-1442

Iowa

Iowa Judicial Branch

Address:
    1111 East Court Avenue
    Des Moines, IA 50319
Office: (515) 348-4670

Kansas

Kansas Supreme Court

Address:
    301 Southwest 10th Avenue
    Topeka, KS 66612
Attorney Admissions: (785) 296-8410
Attorney Discipline: (785) 435-8200

Kentucky

Kentucky Bar Association

Address:
    514 West Main Street
    Frankfort, KY 40601
Office: (502) 564-3795
Fax: (502) 564-3225

Louisiana

Louisiana State Bar Association

Address:
    601 Saint Charles Avenue
    New Orleans, LA 70130
Toll-Free: (800) 421-5722
Office: (504) 566-1600

Maine

Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar

Address:
    97 Winthrop Street
    P.O. Box 527
    Augusta, ME 04332
Office: (207) 623-1121
Fax: (207) 623-4175

Maryland

Maryland Courts

Address:
    361 Rowe Boulevard
    Annapolis, MD 21401
Office: (410) 260-3635

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers

Address:
    1 Beacon Street
    10th Floor
    Boston, MA 02108
Office: (617) 728-8700
Fax: (717) 231-3381

Michigan

State Bar of Michigan

Address:
    306 Townsend Street
    Lansing, MI 48933
Office: (517) 346-6300
Toll-Free: (800) 968-1442

Minnesota

Minnesota Judicial Branch

Address:
    445 Minnesota Street
    Suite 2400
    Saint Paul, MN 55101
Office: (651) 296-3952
Toll-Free: (800) 657-3601

Mississippi

The Mississippi Bar

Address:
    643 North State Street
    Jackson, MS 39202
Office: (601) 948-4471
Fax: (601) 355-8635

Missouri

The Missouri Bar

Address:
    326 Monroe Street
    Jefferson City, MO 65101
Office: (573) 635-4128
Fax: (573) 635-2811

Montana

State Bar of Montana

Address:
    33 South Last Chance Gulch Street
    Suite 1B
    Helena, MT 59601
Office: (406) 442-7660
Fax: (406) 442-7763

Nebraska

Nebraska State Bar Association

Address:
    635 South 14th Street
    Suite 200
    Lincoln, NE 68508
Office: (402) 475-7091
Toll-Free: (800) 927-0117
Fax: (402) 475-7098

Nevada

State Bar of Nevada

Address:
    3100 West Charleston Boulevard
    Suite 100
    Las Vegas, NV 89102
Office: (702) 382-2200

New Hampshire

New Hampshire Bar Association

Address:
    2 Pillsbury Street
    Suite 300
    Concord, NH 03301
Office: (603) 224-6942
Fax: (603) 224-2910

New Jersey

New Jersey Courts

Address:
    25 Market Street
    Trenton, NJ 08608
Office: (609) 984-2111

New Mexico

State Bar of New Mexico

Address:
    5121 Masthead Street Northeast
    Albuquerque, NM 87109
Office: (505) 797-6000
Toll-Free: (800) 876-6227

New York

New York State Unified Court System

Address:
    25 Beaver Street
    Room 840
    New York, NY 10004
Office: (212) 428-2800

North Carolina

North Carolina State Bar

Address:
    217 East Edenton Street
    Raleigh, NC 27601
Office: (919) 828-4620

North Dakota

North Dakota Court System

Address:
    600 East Boulevard Avenue
    Bismarck, ND 58505
BBO: (701) 328-4201
Fax: (701) 328-4480

Ohio

Supreme Court of Ohio

Address:
    65 South Front Street
    Columbus, OH 43215
Office: (614) 387-9000

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Bar Association

Address:
    1901 North Lincoln Boulevard
    Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Office: (405) 416-7000
Toll-Free: (800) 522-8065
Website: okbar.org
Directory Search: https://www.okbar.org/fin...

Oregon

Oregon State Bar

Address:
    16037 Southwest Upper Boones Ferry Road
    Tigard, OR 97224
Office: (503) 620-0222
Toll-Free: (800) 452-8260

Pennsylvania

The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Address:
    601 Commonwealth Avenue Suite 5600
    Harrisburg, PA 17120
Office: (717) 231-3380

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Judiciary

Address:
    250 Benefit Street
    Providence, RI 02903
Office: (401) 421-5740

South Carolina

South Carolina Bar

Address:
    950 Taylor Street
    Columbia, SC 29201
Office: (803) 799-6653

South Dakota

State Bar of South Dakota

Address:
    111 West Capitol Avenue
    #1
    Pierre, SD 57501
Office: (605) 224-7554

Texas

State Bar of Texas

Address:
    1414 Colorado Street
    Austin, TX 78701
Office: (512) 427-1463
Toll-Free: (800) 204-2222

Utah

Utah State Bar

Address:
    645 South 200 East
    Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Office: (801) 531-9077
Fax: (801) 531-0660

Vermont

Vermont Judiciary

Address:
    32 Cherry St
    Burlington, VT 05401
Office: (802) 828-4914
BBO: (802) 828-3281

Virginia

Virginia State Bar

Address:
    1111 East Main Street
    Suite 700
    Richmond, VA 23219
Office: (804) 775-0500
Membership Dept: (804) 775-0530

Washington

Washington State Bar Association

Address:
    1325 4th Avenue
    Suite 600
    Seattle, WA 98101
Office: (800) 945-9722

West Virginia

West Virginia State Bar

Address:
    2000 Deitrick Boulevard
    Charleston, WV 25311
Office: (304) 553-7220
Toll-Free: (866) 989-8227

Wisconsin

State Bar of Wisconsin

Address:
    5302 Eastpark Boulevard
    Madison, WI 53718
Office: (608) 257-3838
Fax: (608) 250-6020

Wyoming

Wyoming State Bar

Address:
    4124 Laramie Street
    Cheyenne, WY 82001
Office: (307) 632-9061
Fax: (307) 632-3737

Additional Information

__________________________________________________________________________

*Delaware previously provided information confirming whether the lawyer was in good standing via e-mail, although now its website contains a search feature.

*New Hampshire does not provide an online searchable database of licensed attorneys, but you can call the lawyer licensing agency, New Hampshire Supreme Court, at 603-271-2646.

*New Jersey does not provide an online searchable database of licensed attorneys, but you can call the state's lawyer licensing agency - New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners - at 609-984-2111.

*The directory in Oklahoma does not include all attorneys in good standing because attorneys in good standing can opt out of being included in the publicly searchable database.

*South Dakota does not provide an online searchable database of licensed attorneys, but you can call the state's lawyer licensing agency - South Dakota - 800-952-2333.

*The Virginia directory does not include all attorneys in good standing because they can opt out of being included in the publicly searchable database.

*For the rest of the states, the links provided on this compilation of State Lawyer Licensing Databases should help you quickly determine whether a particular person is a licensed attorney in good standing to practice law in that state.

The links above also provide information on ordering a Certificate of Good Standing, which reflects the attorney’s full name, bar number, date of admission, and bar status (i.e., active, inactive, retired, etc.). The certificate of good standing does not include any disciplinary history.


How to Search for an Attorney by Speciality Practice Area

All of the attorney directories allow you to search for the attorney by name. Most directories have advanced search features that allow you to search for all attorneys in a particular geographical area or narrow your search based on whether the attorney speaks a specific foreign language or attended a particular law school.

The best directories allow you to search based on your legal need by searching for focus, section, specialty, or keyword. A few of these directories allow you to narrow your search to find a board-certified specialist in a particular specialty area of the law.

If you need to make a complaint against an attorney for unethical conduct or other misconduct, visit this link to find a list of the lawyer disciplinary agencies in the United States.


How to Find Disciplinary Records Online

Use the links below to select the state where the attorney practices law. Then go to the state bar site to search for the attorney's name or bar number. On many of these directories, you can see if the license has ever been inactive or if the attorney was disciplined for misconduct. 

The license can be inactive for a variety of reasons, including if the attorney does any of the following:

  • does not pay a required fee
  • voluntarily retires
  • is deceased

The attorney's history may also show a public reprimand or whether the attorney was suspended, disbarred or resigned because of serious misconduct. Many of these bar directories also provide a list of disbarred attorneys. 

The public can use the attorney directories maintained by the state bar for a variety of reasons, including:

  • find an attorney's state bar number;
  • search for an attorney's contact information by name;
  • determining whether the lawyer is authorized to practice law, licensed in the jurisdiction, active and in good standing;
  • uncover whether the attorney was suspended, disbarred, or resigned because of serious misconduct;
  • learn more about the lawyer's credentials; 
  • check on the lawyer's credentials to determine whether the lawyer is legitimate; and
  • find a good lawyer based on their geographical location and focus area of practice using searches for a section, specialty, or keyword.

Additional Resources

List of Current Disciplined and Disbarred Attorneys - The United States Department of Justice and the Executive Office for Immigration Review website lists currently disciplined attorneys, including attorneys expelled from practice before January 13, 2012. Find the attorney's name, city or state, the discipline imposed, the effective date of discipline, and whether the attorney was subsequently reinstated. The term expelled has been replaced by the term disbarred, which has the same meaning and effect. See 77 Fed. Reg. 2,011, 2,013 (Jan. 13, 2012). Find more information about the attorney’s disciplinary history by clicking on the date highlighted in gold. The DOJ website also provides information about the Executive Office for Immigration Review's Attorney Discipline Program including the Professional Conduct for Immigration Practitioners - Factsheet (PDF), the Amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct (2008), (PDF) and the Rules for Professional Conduct (2000), (PDF).

Lawyer Licensing - American Bar Association - Use the American Bar Association (ABA) website to find information about how lawyers become licensed with a state agency in each state. That agency can help you to find out if a person has a law license and is permitted to practice in a particular state. The article has links to each agency so that you can check if a lawyer is licensed. Find information on disbarred attorneys or whether the attorney has been disciplined or suspended from practice.

State Bar Association Directory - Lawyer Legion created a list of information about the different state bar associations throughout the United States. Some states have a voluntary bar association focusing on advancing and improving the legal profession. Some states have a bar that is a government-sanctioned body charged with the regulation and licensing of attorneys. In some states, one organization serves both functions. Every state, however, has at least one entity that exists to assure confidence in and accountability for attorneys.

Search for New York Attorneys - Do New York attorneys have bar numbers? Although most states have Bar numbers, the State of New York does not have Bar numbers. To verify the attorney's license or good standing to practice law in New York, use the “attorney search” feature on the New York State Unified Court System (USC) website. To search the USC database for an attorney in New York, enter the attorney’s first name, middle name, and last name, or sort by city, state, registration number, registration status or year admitted. The name in the USC database of attorneys corresponds to the name in the Appellate Division Admissions file. NY issues bar cards known as Secure Pass IDs, which are available to all New York attorneys. Read more about searching for an attorney in New York


Finding the Legal Directory of the State Bar

If you need to find out whether an attorney is licensed to practice in a particular state, visit the above list of attorney directories maintained by each state's bar association. Often called the "roll of attorneys," these directories provide each attorney's most updated contact information and disciplinary record.

Because the attorney must keep the information updated, these directories maintained by the state bar are often the best source of the most current information about the attorney. 

The directories maintained by the state bar tend to be far more accurate than the commercial online attorney directories like Lawyer Legion, AVVO, Justia, Findlaw, Lawyers.com, or Best Lawyers.

Many of these directories help the public look up an attorney focused on a particular practice area of the law. A few directories provide information about board-certified attorneys in a state-sponsored or national ABA-recognized specialization program. In many states, the State Bar or local bar associations maintain Lawyer Referral Services to assist the public in finding an attorney.

In addition to using the links in this article to find out if the attorney is licensed in a particular state, you can also use the links to investigate whether the attorney was ever disciplined or disbarred. How do you determine if an attorney is licensed and in good standing? Use this compilation of state lawyer licensing databases with phone numbers and links to the state's licensing authority and access online to their database.

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