Rules of the State Bar, Title 2 Div. 1: Licensee Record

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TITLE 2. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF LICENSEES

Adopted July 2007; last amended effective January 1, 2024.

DIVISION 1. LICENSEE RECORD

Rule 2.1 Roll of attorneys

The State Bar maintains, on the official licensee records of the State Bar, the roll of all attorneys

admitted to practice in California.

Rule 2.1 adopted effective June 17, 2006; amended effective January 25, 2019.

Rule 2.2 Public information; duty to update licensee record

(A) Licensees are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of the information in their State

Bar record. Except for nonpublic email addresses provided pursuant to rule 9.9(a)(2) of

the California Rules of Court and paragraph (B)(2) of this rule and trust account

information provided pursuant to State Bar Rules 2.5 and paragraph (B)(8) of this rule,

all information contained in the official licensee record is presumptively public, is

collected and retained for the State Bar’s regulatory purposes, and may be subject to

disclosure under the California Public Records Act unless that disclosure is otherwise

prohibited by law.

(B) A licensee shall report to the State Bar:

(1) Last name, first name, and any middle names;

(2) A nonpublic email address to be used for State Bar communications;

(3) Office address or, if no office is maintained, an address to be used for State Bar

purposes;

(4) Office telephone number, or, if no office is maintained, a telephone number to

be used for State Bar purposes;

(5) A professional website, if one is maintained;

(6) Practice sector;

(7) Law firm size;

(8) Trust account information, as set forth in rule 2.5;

California Rule of Court, Rule 9.8.

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(9) All legal specialties in which the licensee is certified;

(10) Any other jurisdictions in which the licensee is admitted and the date(s) of

admission;

(11) The jurisdiction, and the nature and date of any discipline imposed by another

jurisdiction, including the terms and conditions of any probation imposed, and, if

suspended or disbarred in another jurisdiction, the date of any reinstatement in

that jurisdiction;

(12) Any other information as directed by the California Supreme Court;

(13) Any other information as may be required by agreement with or by conditions of

probation imposed by any other government agency; and

(14) Any other information as may be required by law.

new jurisdiction under subsection (B)(10), a licensee shall report to the State Bar a

change in any of the information in subsection (B) no later than 30 days after the change

and shall verify such information by February 1 of each year during the license renewal

process, as well as at other times as determined by the State Bar. Changes in certified

legal specialties or admission to a new jurisdiction shall be reported during the annual

license renewal process.

(D) A licensee may report the following information to the State Bar:

(1) An email address to be posted publicly;

(2) Fax number;

(3) Area of practice; and

(4) Languages spoken by the attorney or office staff.

(E) The following additional information shall also be a part of a licensee’s public record and

shall be maintained by the State Bar:

(1) State bar license number;

(2) Date of admission in California;

(3) Law school attended;

(4) California Lawyers Association section membership, if any;

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(5) License status;

(6) Date and any transfer from one license status to another; and

(7) Date and period of any discipline imposed in California.

(F) A licensee must verify the information in subsection (B) prior to return to active status.

(G) Noncompliance with the requirements of this rule is the failure to comply with any

provision of this rule or the failure to pay penalties for noncompliance as set forth in the

Schedule of Charges and Deadlines.

(H) A licensee who fails to comply with this rule shall be enrolled as inactive and not eligible

to practice law. The enrollment as inactive is administrative and no hearing is required.

Enrollment as inactive under this rule terminates when a licensee submits proof of

compliance and pays noncompliance and reinstatement fees.

Rule 2.2 adopted effective June 17, 2006; amended effective March 10, 2017; amended effective January 25, 2019;

amended effective December 1, 2020, amended effective January 1, 2024.

Rule 2.3 [REPEALED]

Rule 2.3 adopted effective June 17, 2006; amended effective January 25, 2019; repealed effective December 1,

2020.

Rule 2.4 [REPEALED]

Rule 2.4 adopted effective July 20, 2007; amended effective January 25, 2019; repealed effective December 1, 2020.

Rule 2.5 Client Trust Account protection program annual reporting, account registration and

self-assessment completion requirements

As authorized by California Rule of Court, rule 9.8.5, a licensee must comply with certain annual

reporting requirements under the Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP).

(A) Definitions

(1) A licensee is “responsible for client funds and funds entrusted by others under

the provisions of rule 1.15 of the Rules of Professional Conduct” within the

meaning of this rule if, at any point during the reporting period, they acted as a

signatory on a trust account, exercised managerial or primary administrative

oversight for a trust account, or were otherwise responsible for complying with

any of the requirements or prohibitions in rule 1.15 of the Rules of Professional

Conduct. The requirements and prohibitions in rule 1.15 are not limited to

banking and recordkeeping duties and include, for example, the responsibility for

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giving notice to the client or other person that funds were received on behalf of

the client or other person and the duty to identify and discharge liens.

(2) A “trust account” is any bank account or accounts opened to receive or hold

funds in accordance with rule 1.15(a) of the Rules of Professional Conduct,

regardless of the amount of funds in the account, and includes, but is not limited

to, any IOLTA account under Business and Professions Code section 6211,

subdivision (a) where the interest is paid to the State Bar and any account under

Business and Professions Code section 6211, subdivision (b) where the interest is

payable to a client or other person.

(3) An “annual self-assessment” is a survey about client trust accounting duties and

practices and includes, but is not limited to, questions and affirmations regarding

a licensee’s trust account recordkeeping under rule 1.15(d)(3) of the Rules of

Professional Conduct and the recordkeeping standards adopted by the Board

under rule 1.15(e) of the Rules of Professional Conduct.

(4) A “firm” means a law partnership; a professional law corporation; a lawyer

acting as a sole proprietorship; an association authorized to practice law; or

lawyers employed in a legal services organization or in the legal department,

division or office of a corporation, of a government organization, or of another

organization.

(5) The “reportable time period” for a licensee who must pay their annual license

fees under Title 2, rule 2.11 is the calendar year immediately preceding the

licensee’s due date for paying their annual license fees. The “reportable time

period” for a new licensee who must pay their initial license fees is from their

date of admission through the due date for payment of their initial fees under

Title 2, rule 2.12, or, if the due date to pay their initial fees is in the year

following their date of admission, through December 31 of the year they were

admitted. The “reportable time period” for a licensee who, pursuant to

paragraph (L), must comply with this rule prior to the return to active status is

the end of the reporting period for which the licensee last completed reporting

through the date of the request to transfer to active status.

(B) CTAPP Reporting Requirements

Unless a licensee is exempt under paragraph (K), a licensee must annually comply with the

following reporting requirements:

(1) Annual Trust Account Certification—A licensee must annually (a) report whether

or not, at any time during the reportable time period, they were a licensee

responsible for client funds and funds entrusted by others under the provisions

of rule 1.15 of the Rules of Professional Conduct and (b) if they were a licensee

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responsible for client funds and funds entrusted by others under the provisions

of rule 1.15 of the Rules of Professional Conduct, then those licensees must also

certify that they are knowledgeable about, and in compliance with, applicable

rules and statutes governing a trust account and the safekeeping of funds

entrusted by clients and others;

(2) Annual Trust Account Registration—A licensee who was responsible for client

funds and funds entrusted by others under the provisions of rule 1.15 of the

Rules of Professional Conduct must, annually, register each and every trust

account in which the licensee held such funds at any time during the reportable

time period by identifying the bank routing number; bank name; bank account

number; bank account name; account opened date; account closed date, if

applicable; account balance on a specified date; and other information as

required by the State Bar and in a manner prescribed by the State Bar for such

reporting. A licensee will be considered in compliance with this subparagraph if

the licensee’s firm submits account registration information on behalf of one or

more licensees affiliated with the firm that identifies the licensee as one on

whose behalf the registration information is submitted; and

(3) Annual Self-Assessment—A licensee responsible for client funds and funds

entrusted by others under the provisions of rule 1.15 of the Rules of Professional

Conduct must complete an annual self-assessment and report the completion of

the self-assessment in a manner prescribed by the State Bar for such reporting.

The deadline for submitting the information to be annually reported under paragraph (B) of this

rule is the licensee’s due date for paying their license fees under Title 2, Division 2, rules 2.11 or

2.12 of the State Bar Rules.

(D) CTAPP Reporting Required Even if a Licensee is Not Responsible for Trust Funds at the

Time of Reporting

The annual reports required under paragraph (B)(1) and paragraph (B)(3) of this rule must be

submitted when a licensee, at any time during the reportable time period, has been a licensee

responsible for client funds or funds entrusted by others under the provisions of rule 1.15 of

the Rules of Professional Conduct, and this includes circumstances where the licensee at the

time of submitting their report is no longer responsible for client funds or funds entrusted by

others under the provisions of rule 1.15 of the Rules of Professional Conduct. The registration

of a trust account under paragraph (B)(2) of this rule also is required even if a licensee is not

responsible for funds held in the trust account at the time of reporting so long as the licensee

remains in practice with the firm that controls the trust account. A licensee is not required to

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(E) CTAPP Reporting Required Even if a Licensee is Not Responsible for Trust Funds at the

Time of Reporting

Under paragraph (B)(1), a licensee who is not exempt under paragraph (K) must report whether

or not, at any time during the reportable time period, they were a licensee who was

responsible for client funds and funds entrusted by others under the provisions of rule 1.15 of

the Rules of Professional Conduct. To comply with paragraph (B)(1), a licensee who was not

responsible for client funds and funds entrusted by others under the provisions of rule 1.15 of

the Rules of Professional Conduct must submit a report indicating that fact.

(F) Noncompliance

Noncompliance with the requirements of this rule is failure to:

(1) complete annual trust account certification, registration, or self-assessment

requirements under paragraph (B); or

(2) pay fees for noncompliance.

(G) Notice of CTAPP Reporting Noncompliance

A licensee who is sent a notice of noncompliance with any reporting required by this rule must

comply as instructed in the notice or be involuntarily enrolled as inactive. An inactive licensee is

not eligible to practice law.

(H) Enrollment as Inactive for Noncompliance

A licensee who fails to comply with a notice of CTAPP reporting noncompliance is enrolled as

inactive and is not eligible to practice law. The enrollment is administrative and no hearing is

required.

(I) Reinstatement Following Noncompliance

Enrollment as inactive for CTAPP reporting noncompliance terminates when a licensee submits

proof of compliance and pays noncompliance and reinstatement fees.

(J) Fees for Noncompliance

Fees for noncompliance with any of the requirements in paragraph (B), including a

reinstatement fee to terminate CTAPP inactive enrollment, are set forth in the Schedule of

Charges and Deadlines.

(K) Licensees Who are Exempt from Compliance to this Rule

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The following category of licensees are exempt from compliance with the reporting

requirements in paragraph (B):

(1) A licensee who was not on active status for the entirety of the reportable time

period; or

(2) A licensee who is not entitled to practice law at the time of the reporting

deadline for any reason other than voluntary inactive enrollment.

Rule 2.5 adopted effective January 1, 2023; amended effective December 1, 2023.