- When will I receive my DocuSign link to complete my form?
- What if I don’t receive the email from DocuSign?
- How do I submit a request for a new DocuSign link to complete my form?
- I prefer a paper form; can I still do that?
- My name has changed since I began the admissions process with the State Bar, what do I do?
- Who is authorized to administer the attorney’s oath and how do I know if my specific administering officer is authorized?
- What date should be entered on the Attorney Oath section of the form?
- My administering officer prefers not to receive a DocuSign email. What do I do?
- California notaries require paper signatures, what do I do?
- The notary will not place their seal directly on the form, what do I do?
- I am out of the state or country, what do I do?
- If I complete my form on DocuSign, do I need to take any further action?
- Where do I send my form if I have printed it out?
- How do I scan a copy of my printed form?
- Can I submit a photo of my completed form?
- Will I receive confirmation that my form has been received?
- I have completed and submitted my New Licensee Registration and Attorney Oath form. Is there a separate oath card?
- How long after the State Bar receives my form will it take for it to be processed and my bar number assigned?
- There are typos or minor errors in the prefilled information, what can I do?
- I have five years to complete my registration. For how long is the DocuSign link valid?
- Do I need to provide my law school information?
1. When will I receive my DocuSign link to complete my form?
Only those who meet all requirements for licensure will receive a DocuSign link to the online New Licensee Registration and Attorney Oath form. Please check your status in the Applicant Portal to see if you have satisfied the requirements for admission.
Once you satisfy the requirements, your name will be placed on the motion to the Supreme Court of California. After the State Bar receives the signed motion from the Court, you will be emailed a link to the New Licensee Registration and Attorney Oath form so you may register with the State Bar and take the attorney’s oath. Instructions for completing your State Bar registration and attorney’s oath will come via email from DocuSign. This process takes between one to three weeks.
2. What if I don’t receive the email from DocuSign?
If you have not received the link, check to see what you might be missing in your Applicant Portal. Also please check your junk/spam folders in your email inbox. The email will come to your “preferred” email address, from the State Bar, via DocuSign. If you still do not see the email, you can request that the DocuSign email be resent by emailing Admissions@calbar.ca.gov.
3. How do I submit a request for a new DocuSign link to complete my form?
If you require a new DocuSign link, please email your request to Admissions@calbar.ca.gov.
4. I prefer a paper form; can I still do that?
Yes. The paper form is still available in two ways:
- Once you are invited to access the form in DocuSign, you can click on “Review Documents” to access your personalized form. Once you have accepted DocuSign’s use of electronic signatures, you can choose “Print” or “Download and Print” to print your form from DocuSign.
- You can also email the Office of Admissions via the Applicant Portal and request a paper form. Please submit a general request and note your preference for a hard copy version of the registration card. The card will be mailed and may take up to five business days to arrive. International addresses will take longer than five days.
Please note that the postal mail time to return a paper form, plus processing time, may delay completion of your enrollment.
5. My name has changed since I began the admissions process with the State Bar, what do I do?
If you wish to be registered under a name different from than the one used on your results letter, please enter your new name on the form and return that along with a completed and signed Name Change Form and the required photocopies of identification. They can be uploaded and emailed to OathCard@calbar.ca.gov, or mailed to:
The State Bar of California
Division of Regulation
180 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
If you are requesting a name change and signing via DocuSign, forward the final completion email from DocuSign along with the completed Name Change Form and the required photocopies of identification to OathCard@calbar.ca.gov.
Please note that if you fill out your form and take your oath under your old name, it will become part of your permanent State Bar record, and any subsequent name changes will be noted as such. If the form is submitted with a different name and without the required Name Change Form, the registration form will be returned to you for completion, delaying your enrollment.
6. Who is authorized to administer the attorney's oath and how do I know if my specific administering officer is authorized?
There are a number of officials in California who are authorized to administer the oath. For more information, review the Attorney’s Oath webpage.
If you do not see the official listed, please confirm directly with the official to determine if they are authorized to administer the attorney’s oath. The official in question can confirm whether they are authorized to administer the attorney’s oath. Questions? Submit an inquiry in your Applicant Portal.
7. What date should be entered on the Attorney Oath section of the form?
Once you have scheduled to take the attorney’s oath, you may sign and date the “Licensee” section of the Attorney’s Oath. The date you sign the form should be the date the oath is administered. Also, please make sure the administering officer confirms the exact date the oath was administered. This will be your official date of admittance.
8. My administering officer prefers not to receive a DocuSign email. What do I do?
You can print the form and complete the signing process on paper. Once completed, by both you and the administering officer, you may either scan and upload the completed form to DocuSign or email the completed PDF to: OathCard@calbar.ca.gov.
Applicants who have no access to a computer must mail their completed form to:
The State Bar of California
Division of Regulation
180 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
If your oath card was submitted via PDF directly to OathCard@calbar.ca.gov or mailed, confirmation that your oath card was received cannot be provided. Please note that we are unable to respond to individual requests for confirmation, status updates, or expedited processing.
9. California notaries require paper signatures, what do I do?
You have the option to complete your registration and attorney oath on paper. Once you are invited to access the form in DocuSign via email, you can click on Review Document to access your personalized form. Once you have accepted DocuSign’s use of electronic signatures, you can choose to Print, or choose to Download and print, and print your form from DocuSign.
10. The notary will not place their seal directly on the form, what do I do?
The language on the form has been formatted for notaries to sign directly on the form. As such, we encourage notaries to place their notary seal directly on the form and not as an attachment. However, notary seals included as an attachment will be accepted.
11. I am out of the state or country, what do I do?
If you currently live outside of California, it is not necessary for you to return to take the attorney’s oath. You can complete the form in one of two ways:
- In hard copy: Simply print the form from the DocuSign email site, or request one via email. An affidavit taken before an ambassador, minister, consul, vice-consul, or consular agent of the United States or before any judge of a court of record having a seal in such foreign country (Code Civ. Proc. § 2014.) can be used. When an affidavit is taken before a judge or a court in another state or in a foreign country, the genuineness of the signature of the judge, the existence of the court, and the fact that such judge is a member thereof must be certified by the clerk of the court, under the seal thereof. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2015.) Affidavits and oaths made by military personnel are governed by California Civ. Code section 1183.5. Ensure that both you and the attorney oath administering officer sign the form (both need to sign the same form) and that the office administering the oath confirms the exact date the oath was administered. Both signed dates (your signature and your swearing-in officer’s) must match. Mail the card to:
The State Bar of California
Division of Regulation
180 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105 - Electronically: Access the link sent to you by DocuSign. Applicants fill out their portion of the form and submit it. Once completed, DocuSign will send a second email that should be shared with the swearing-in officer. They can fill that out and sign it electronically.
12. If I complete my form on DocuSign, do I need to take any further action?
No, once you and your swearing-in officer have both completed and signed the form via DocuSign, no further steps are required.
If your oath card is completed via DocuSign, you will receive an automatic email confirmation via DocuSign that the document was completed and received. Please note that we are unable to respond to individual requests for confirmation, status updates, or expedited processing.
13. Where do I send my form if I have printed it out?
To return the form, scan it and send it back via email as a PDF attachment to OathCard@calbar.ca.gov. Applicants who have no access to a computer should mail their completed form to:
The State Bar of California
Division of Regulation
180 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
If your oath card was submitted via PDF directly to OathCard@calbar.ca.gov or mailed, confirmation that your oath card was received cannot be provided. Please note that we are unable to respond to individual requests for confirmation, status updates, or expedited processing.
14. How do I scan a copy of my printed form?
If you don’t have access to a scanner, there are many free apps available on Android and iOS phones to create a PDF of your form.
You can also go to a print shop locally that can help you scan the card.
15. Can I submit a photo of my completed form?
Your form must be submitted in PDF format. Photos of your form will not be accepted.
16. Will I receive confirmation that my form has been received?
If your oath card is completed via DocuSign, you will receive an automatic email confirmation via DocuSign that the document was completed and received.
If your oath card was submitted via PDF directly to OathCard@calbar.ca.gov, confirmation that your oath card was received cannot be provided. Unfortunately, we are unable to respond to individual requests for confirmation, status updates, or expedited processing.
After you have submitted your completed form, please allow 30 days for the State Bar to process your New Licensee Registration and Attorney Oath forms. You can check the State Bar website's Attorney Search to confirm your enrollment has been processed and obtain your bar number. If after 30 days your bar number has not been assigned, please email a PDF copy of your completed and signed form to OathCard@calbar.ca.gov.
17. I have completed and submitted my New Licensee Registration and Attorney Oath form. Is there a separate oath card?
No, the New Licensee Registration and Attorney Oath form and oath card are one and the same.
18. How long after the State Bar receives my form will it take for it to be processed and my bar number assigned?
Once you have submitted your completed form, allow 30 days, and then check the State Bar website Attorney Search to confirm your enrollment and obtain your bar number.
Although your bar number will not be assigned until your completed form has been received by the State Bar, your official date of admission will be the date you take your oath. As soon as you have submitted your completed form, you are eligible to practice law in California, and when asked for your bar number, you may state that it is “Pending.”
If it has been 30 days and you have not received your bar number, please send an email to OathCard@calbar.ca.gov with a PDF copy of your completed and signed form attached. Make sure to include your first and last name in the file name of the PDF attachment.
A fee notice will be issued within 30 days of your bar number being assigned.
19. There are typos or minor errors in the prefilled information, what can I do?
Most fields on the form can be updated. If there is a change required to the name, as noted above, please submit with the required Name Change Form. Additionally, your law degree information has been prepopulated on your form based your record with the Office of Admissions. If there is a discrepancy with the information show, contact the Office of Admissions at Admissons@calbar.ca.gov. If the field for your law degree information is blank, please fill in your law school information on the form.
20. I have five years to complete my registration. For how long is the DocuSign link valid?
The link is valid for one year. If you need to receive the link once more, please email Admissions@calbar.ca.gov.
21. Do I need to provide my law school information?
Yes, pursuant to rule 2.2 (e) of the Rules of the State Bar of California, the law school attended is part of your public licensee record.
Your law degree information is prepopulated on your form based your record with the Office of Admissions. If there is a discrepancy with the information shown, contact the Office of Admissions at Admissions@calbar.ca.gov. If the field for your law degree information is blank, please fill in your law school information on the form.