State Bar of California

The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline. It is directly responsible to the Supreme Court of California. All attorney admissions and disbarments are issued as recommendations of the State Bar, which are then routinely ratified by the Supreme Court.

The State Bar was legally established on July 29, 1927, when the State Bar Act went into effect. Today, the State Bar of California is the largest state bar association in the United States, with 242,000-plus members as of January 2013, of whom over 179,000 are on active status. It is headquartered in San Francisco, with branch offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento.