How to check a lawyer's license, discipline record and credentials

Why a two-minute check is worth it#

A law license is not permanent. Lawyers can be suspended or disbarred, and a license can lapse or become inactive. A website, an ad or a business card will not tell you any of this. The official record will.

According to the American Bar Association, each state keeps current records of registration and discipline for the lawyers it licenses. Those records are public because the state wants you to use them. Checking is routine, and a good lawyer will not be offended that you did it.

How to check a lawyer in six steps#

1. Get the lawyer's full name and bar number. Ask for both, along with the state or states where they are licensed. A bar number makes the search exact when several lawyers share a name.
2. Find your state's official directory. Search for your state bar's "find a lawyer" or "attorney search" page, or start from your state page. Check that you are on the bar's or the court's own website, not a commercial lawyer directory.
3. Confirm the license status. Look for "active," "in good standing" or "eligible to practice." Any other status, such as inactive, suspended, resigned or disbarred, means you should ask questions before going further.
4. Note the admission date and practice address. The admission date tells you how long the lawyer has been licensed. The address should match the office you are dealing with.
5. Look for public discipline. Many directories show public discipline on the profile or link to orders. If yours does not, the state's disciplinary agency can tell you what is public.
6. Repeat for every lawyer on your case. If a second lawyer or another firm will work on your case or share the fee, check them too. Do the same in each state where a lawyer says they are licensed.

What the listing tells you#

Every state's directory looks a little different, but most answer the same questions: is this person licensed here, are they allowed to practice right now, and have they been publicly disciplined?

Two examples

In Texas, the State Bar's Find a Lawyer directory lists every attorney licensed in the state, and the Texas guide explains the state's other lawyer resources. In New York, the courts, not a bar association, keep the Attorney Search. It shows the lawyer's registered office and date of admission. For good standing and disciplinary records, New York's court librarians point you to the grievance committee for the Appellate Division that admitted the lawyer.

Reading discipline correctly

Public discipline ranges from a public reprimand to suspension or disbarment; the names vary by state. Read what the order says, how long ago it happened and whether it involved client money, missed deadlines or dishonesty. One old reprimand about a paperwork lapse is very different from a recent suspension for mishandling client funds.

A clean record means no public discipline. It does not mean no one has ever complained: in many states, dismissed complaints and some minor sanctions are not public.

Board certification and "specialist" claims#

Any licensed lawyer may take car accident cases. board certificationBoard certification. An optional credential showing that a lawyer met extra experience, testing and education standards in one field of law, set by a state program or an ABA-accredited organization. A lawyer does not need it to practice. Glossary is an optional, extra credential. Under the ABA's model rule, a lawyer should only say they are a certified specialist if they are certified by an organization approved by a state authority or accredited by the American Bar Association, and the certifying organization must be named. States adopt their own version of this rule.

Certification comes from two places:

• State programs. Some states certify lawyers themselves. The Texas Board of Legal Specialization, for example, certifies lawyers in Personal Injury Trial Law.
• ABA-accredited organizations. The ABA does not certify individual lawyers. It accredits private certifying organizations, and its list currently has 8 of them. One lists certifications in civil trial law and truck accident law.

You can verify a certification on the certifying body's own website. Certification tells you a lawyer met extra standards in a field. It does not rank lawyers, and many capable lawyers do not have it.

Malpractice insurance#

legal malpracticeLegal malpractice. A lawyer's failure to use the skill and care a reasonable lawyer would use, causing the client a loss, such as missing a filing deadline. Glossary insurance pays if a lawyer's mistake costs a client money, for example by missing a filing deadline. Not every state requires lawyers to carry it, and rules on telling clients differ:

Where no rule applies, you can simply ask the lawyer whether they carry malpractice insurance. Bar-run referral services that meet ABA standards require and verify that every panel lawyer carries malpractice insurance; see our guide to lawyer referral services.

Lawyers licensed in another state#

A license is state by state. A lawyer licensed only in another state usually needs a court's permission to handle a lawsuit in yours, called pro hac vicePro hac vice. Latin for "for this occasion." Permission from a court for a lawyer licensed in another state to take part in one specific case. Courts commonly require a local lawyer to join the case too. Glossary admission, and states commonly require a local lawyer on the case. In Alabama, for example, an out-of-state lawyer must bring in a member in good standing of the Alabama State Bar on the case before appearing in court.

This comes up when a crash happens away from home. The case may belong in the state where the crash happened, or where the other driver lives, rather than where you live. You may want to ask:

• Which state's courts would hear the case, and are you licensed there?
• If not, which local lawyer will work with you, and how is the fee shared?
• Whose deadline applies? Check the state-by-state table for filing deadlines.

If you find a problem#

If the check turns up something that worries you, ask the lawyer about it directly and judge the answer. You can also look elsewhere. Our page on red flags covers other warning signs, and questions to ask a lawyer helps you compare candidates.

If a lawyer you already hired acted dishonestly or unethically, the ABA's consumer guidance says complaints go to the lawyer disciplinary agency in the state where the lawyer is licensed. The ABA keeps a directory of state disciplinary agencies to help you find the right office. If a lawyer took money that belonged to you, a lawyers' fund for client protection exists in every state. These funds have their own rules and deadlines; in Texas, you have 18 months after a disciplinary judgment to apply.