To file a complaint against an attorney in California, submit the Attorney Misconduct Complaint Form to the State Bar’s Office of Chief Trial Counsel. Filing is free, open to anyone (not just the lawyer’s client), and available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, and Chinese.1The State Bar of California. How to File a Complaint Against an Attorney The State Bar can discipline the attorney for ethical violations, but it cannot award you money or act as your lawyer in a dispute.
What the State Bar Can and Can’t Do About Your Complaint
The State Bar’s authority is limited to violations of the California Rules of Professional Conduct and the State Bar Act.2The State Bar of California. Attorney Misconduct Online Complaint Losing your case, disliking your attorney’s strategy, or feeling the outcome was unfair are not grounds for discipline on their own. The question is whether the lawyer broke an ethics rule, not whether you are unhappy with the result.
Conduct that typically does justify a complaint includes:
- Stealing or mishandling client funds, including taking settlement money, failing to keep client funds in a separate trust account, or refusing to return unearned fees.
- Failing to communicate, such as ignoring calls, missing deadlines without explanation, or disappearing during active litigation.
- Incompetence. Rule 1.1 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct prohibits attorneys from intentionally, recklessly, or repeatedly failing to perform legal services competently.3The State Bar of California. Rule 1.1 Competence
- Dishonesty or criminal conduct. Under Business and Professions Code section 6106, acts of dishonesty, moral turpitude, or corruption can trigger discipline even when the conduct has nothing to do with practicing law.
- Conflicts of interest, such as representing both sides of a dispute or putting the lawyer’s own financial interest ahead of yours.
One point worth being clear about before you file: a bar complaint will not put money in your pocket. The State Bar’s role is to protect the public from future harm, not to compensate you for past harm. If a lawyer’s negligence cost you money (a missed filing deadline that killed your case, for example), that is a civil malpractice claim you bring in court, not a disciplinary matter. The two can run in parallel because they do different work.
How to File the Complaint
Start with the Attorney Misconduct Complaint Form on the State Bar’s website. You can submit it online or download the PDF and mail it to the Office of Chief Trial Counsel Intake at 845 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017.4The State Bar of California. Attorney Misconduct Complaint Form
Include:
- The attorney’s name and State Bar number if you have it. You can look up any licensee on the State Bar’s website.
- A detailed, chronological account of what happened.
- Supporting documents: emails, the fee agreement, billing records, court filings, bank statements, canceled checks.
Be specific. A complaint that says the lawyer received a $15,000 settlement check in March, promised to distribute it by April, and stopped returning calls in May is far easier to investigate than one that calls the lawyer “unprofessional.” Dates, dollar amounts, and documents are what move a complaint forward.
There is no filing deadline, but memories fade, witnesses move, and records get thrown out. File as soon as you recognize the problem.
Filing Anonymously
You can submit a complaint anonymously by checking the appropriate box on the form. There are tradeoffs. The State Bar cannot contact you for follow-up information, and if you are the lawyer’s client, the investigators cannot establish a waiver of attorney-client confidentiality for the investigation. Even anonymously, the State Bar must disclose the facts being investigated to the attorney, which may be enough for the lawyer to identify who complained.2The State Bar of California. Attorney Misconduct Online Complaint
What Happens After You File
Unless you filed anonymously, the State Bar will confirm it received your complaint. An experienced State Bar attorney then reviews it to decide whether the facts, taken at face value, show an ethical violation. You may be asked for additional documents at this stage.1The State Bar of California. How to File a Complaint Against an Attorney
If the initial review finds enough to proceed, the matter moves to a full investigation. Investigators from the Office of Chief Trial Counsel examine billing records, client agreements, court filings, and correspondence. They may interview clients, opposing counsel, and court staff. For financial misconduct, forensic accountants may review trust account records. The office has subpoena power to compel bank records, documents, and testimony.5California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code BPC 6049
The attorney is notified and required to cooperate. Business and Professions Code section 6068(i) requires attorneys to participate in disciplinary investigations, and refusing can itself become grounds for discipline.6California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code BPC 6068 Attorneys keep their Fifth Amendment privilege, however, and cannot be punished for exercising it.
California law expects the State Bar to complete the investigation and either file charges or close the case within 180 days. Complex cases involving financial fraud or multiple victims often take longer.
Complaints and investigations are presumptively confidential. The State Bar does not publicly announce that a lawyer is under investigation, and the complaint itself is not a public record during this stage.1The State Bar of California. How to File a Complaint Against an Attorney The case becomes public only if formal charges are filed and the matter moves to State Bar Court, at which point a notice appears on the attorney’s online profile.
Possible Outcomes
Not every complaint leads to formal discipline. The response is calibrated to the severity of the conduct.
- Case closed. If the evidence does not support a violation, the complaint is closed and both parties are notified. The complaint remains in the State Bar’s records and can inform future investigations.
- Warning letter. For conduct that falls short of a serious violation. Not considered discipline and not on the attorney’s public record.
- Diversion or corrective agreement. The attorney agrees to steps like ethics coursework or substance abuse treatment. Not formal discipline.1The State Bar of California. How to File a Complaint Against an Attorney
- Reproval. A formal finding of misconduct. A private reproval stays off the public record; a public reproval is recorded in the attorney’s disciplinary history.
- Suspension. The attorney loses the right to practice for a set period. Reinstatement may require ethics courses, restitution, or passing a professional responsibility exam.
- Disbarment. Reserved for the most serious misconduct, such as fraud, theft of client funds, or repeated violations. Disbarred attorneys must wait at least five years before applying for reinstatement.
When formal charges are filed, a State Bar Court judge decides the case. If the judge recommends suspension or disbarment, the California Supreme Court reviews and issues the final order.7Justia. California Constitution Article VI Section 9
Getting Your Money Back
Discipline protects future clients. It does not refund what you lost. Two separate paths exist for recovering money, and which one fits depends on what the lawyer did.
If the attorney stole from you or obtained money through dishonest conduct, apply to the State Bar’s Client Security Fund. The fund can reimburse up to $100,000 per claim and covers situations like theft of settlement money, failure to refund fees when no work was performed, and a lawyer borrowing from a client without the ability or intent to repay.8The State Bar of California. Apply for Reimbursement Through Client Security Fund It does not cover losses from negligence, malpractice, or incompetence. The conduct must have been dishonest, not merely careless.
Filing is free, you do not need a lawyer, and the application is available online or as a PDF. You will need documentation proving the attorney received your money, including canceled checks, bank records, the fee agreement, and a written chronological summary with specific dates and amounts.9The State Bar of California. Applying to the Client Security Fund Close family members, business partners, and government agencies are not eligible for reimbursement.
If the lawyer’s conduct was negligent rather than dishonest and that negligence caused you a measurable financial loss, your remedy is a civil malpractice lawsuit in court. To win, you generally need to show the attorney fell below the standard of care, that the failure directly caused your loss, and that you suffered quantifiable damages. You can pursue a bar complaint and a malpractice case at the same time.
If Your Dispute Is About the Bill
Fee disagreements go through a different program. The State Bar’s Mandatory Fee Arbitration Program handles disputes over what you were charged and is separate from discipline. The disciplinary process cannot reduce your bill, and a fee arbitrator cannot discipline the lawyer.10The State Bar of California. Frequently Asked Questions – Fee Disputes
Arbitration is mandatory for the attorney if you request it. An arbitrator reviews whether the fees and costs were reasonable based on the written fee agreement, the value and complexity of the services, the time spent, and whether billing errors occurred. The arbitrator can order a refund of overpaid fees or determine that you owe more, but can never order you to pay more than your fee agreement allows.
Results can be binding or nonbinding, depending on what both parties choose. If the result is nonbinding and either side disagrees, that party can reject the award and request a trial in court within 30 days. If no one acts within that window, the nonbinding award automatically becomes binding.
Complaints Against People Who Aren’t Licensed
The State Bar also handles the unauthorized practice of law. This covers people giving legal advice while posing as lawyers, attorneys practicing on a suspended or revoked license, and attorneys licensed only in another state who claim they can practice here.11The State Bar of California. Unauthorized Practice of Law Complaint
Immigration services draw a particular share of these complaints. Immigration consultants can provide non-legal help such as translating form answers, but they cannot advise you on which forms to file or suggest answers. The title “notario” is not authorized in California. If a non-attorney gave you legal advice, file a separate unauthorized practice of law complaint through the State Bar’s website; the form is multilingual and free. You can verify any attorney’s license status online or by calling 800-843-9053.
If You Disagree With How Your Complaint Was Handled
There is no formal appeal for complainants. In a disciplinary case you are a witness and a source of information, not a party. If you believe the investigation overlooked important evidence or new information has emerged, you can submit a written request for reconsideration to the Office of Chief Trial Counsel explaining why the decision should be revisited. Reconsideration is discretionary, but compelling new evidence can reopen a case.12The State Bar of California. File Complaints and Claims
If the misconduct cost you money, the disciplinary track was never going to make you whole. The Client Security Fund and a civil malpractice lawsuit are where financial recovery actually happens, and either can be pursued alongside or after a bar complaint.