To check a lawyer’s credentials before hiring, look the attorney up in the state bar directory for the state where they claim to be licensed, confirm their status is listed as active, and read any public disciplinary history attached to their record. Every state’s licensing agency keeps this information searchable for free, and the whole check usually takes a few minutes. What you learn can save you from paying someone who is suspended, disbarred, or not licensed to practice where your case will be heard.
What to Gather Before You Search
Get the attorney’s full name spelled correctly. Common names produce multiple hits in bar directories, and one wrong letter can pull up a stranger. Better still, get their bar number, sometimes called a registration number or attorney ID. That number is unique to one person and cuts through any ambiguity. Most attorneys list it on their business cards, engagement letters, or firm website.
You also need to know which state issued the license. Attorneys are licensed state by state, and there is no single national database covering every jurisdiction. If a lawyer says they are licensed in more than one state, run a separate search in each. Good standing in one state does not carry across, and the directories do not cross-reference each other.
Running the State Bar Search
The American Bar Association keeps a page linking to the licensing agency in every state, which is the fastest starting point if you don’t know where to look.1American Bar Association. Lawyer Licensing Searching the web for “[state name] bar association attorney search” also usually surfaces the right directory as the first result.
Most state bars let you type in a name or bar number and see results immediately. A handful of states still verify status only by phone or email, so don’t assume the attorney doesn’t exist just because nothing comes up online. The ABA’s state-by-state list includes phone numbers for those jurisdictions.1American Bar Association. Lawyer Licensing
A typical directory profile shows the attorney’s full name, bar number, admission date, office address, and sometimes their law school. The field that matters most is current status.
What the Status Field Means
You want to see “active” or “eligible to practice.” Anything else deserves a closer look before you hire.
- Active means the attorney is licensed and eligible to practice in that state.
- Inactive means the attorney has voluntarily placed the license on hold, often because they retired, moved, or took a non-practicing role. An inactive attorney cannot represent you.
- Suspended means the attorney has been prohibited from practicing, either for disciplinary reasons or for administrative failures like not paying bar dues. A suspended attorney legally cannot represent you regardless of how close reinstatement may be.
- Disbarred means the license has been revoked, typically for serious misconduct such as stealing client funds, fraud, or a felony conviction.2American Bar Association. Model Rules for Lawyer Disciplinary Enforcement – Rule 10
“Inactive” isn’t automatically a warning sign; many lawyers go inactive by choice. But if the profile shows any status other than active, ask the attorney to explain it before signing an engagement letter.
Reading the Disciplinary Record
Most state directories include a section listing any public discipline the attorney has received. This is where formal actions for violating the rules of professional conduct show up. States display this information inconsistently, so if you don’t see a disciplinary section in the online profile, contact the bar directly and ask for the attorney’s public disciplinary history.
Public discipline generally comes in a few forms. Disbarment revokes the license outright. Suspension bars practice for a set time; some suspensions end automatically, others require the attorney to apply for reinstatement and show they addressed the underlying problem.2American Bar Association. Model Rules for Lawyer Disciplinary Enforcement – Rule 10 Public reprimands and censures are formal rebukes on the permanent record that don’t restrict practice, and typically follow misconduct serious enough for public notice but not for suspension.
Weigh what you find rather than just counting incidents. A single reprimand from years ago for a procedural misstep is not the same as multiple recent sanctions for dishonesty or mishandling client funds. Read the details in the bar record.
One category won’t appear in any public search: private admonitions, which are the mildest form of discipline and are kept confidential. You have no way to access them during a background check.
Verifying a Claimed Specialty
Any licensed attorney can technically take on any type of case, so “specializes in” often means nothing more than “wants that kind of work.” Board certification is different. It means the attorney has met additional requirements including substantial experience in the specialty, peer references, continuing education, and often a written exam.
The ABA does not certify attorneys directly. It accredits private organizations that run certification programs, and several states operate their own certification programs.3American Bar Association. ABA Accredited Programs4American Bar Association. Specialization If an attorney tells you they are a board-certified specialist, ask which organization certified them, then confirm their name in that organization’s public directory. The ABA’s Standing Committee on Specialization links to each accredited organization and to state-run programs.5American Bar Association. Resources for the Public A lawyer who can’t name the certifying body, or whose name doesn’t appear in the relevant directory, may be overstating their qualifications.
Malpractice Insurance
No federal law requires attorneys to carry professional liability insurance, and only a small number of states mandate coverage. Roughly 20 states require attorneys to disclose whether they carry it, either on their annual bar registration or directly to clients. Where disclosure is required, the answer sometimes appears right in the bar directory profile.
This matters more than most clients realize. If your attorney makes a serious mistake and carries no insurance, you can still sue for malpractice, but collecting a judgment against an individual lawyer with limited assets is a separate problem. In states without a disclosure rule, just ask. A lawyer who won’t answer the question is telling you something about how they run their practice.
When the Attorney Isn’t Licensed in Your State
Attorneys sometimes handle cases in states where they aren’t permanently licensed, through a process called pro hac vice admission. The court grants temporary permission for the out-of-state lawyer to appear on a specific case, and in almost every jurisdiction they must work alongside a locally licensed attorney serving as local counsel.
If a lawyer says they can handle your matter in a state where they aren’t barred, ask whether they will seek pro hac vice admission and who local counsel will be. Then verify their license in the state where they actually are barred. An out-of-state attorney appearing without pro hac vice admission and without local counsel could be engaging in unauthorized practice, which puts your case at risk.
Court Records and Peer Ratings
If you want to see the kinds of cases an attorney has actually handled, federal court records are searchable through PACER, the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system. Anyone can create an account and search across federal district, appellate, and bankruptcy courts nationwide.6United States Courts. Find a Case (PACER) PACER charges small per-page fees, but if you spend $30 or less in a quarter the fees are waived, so a casual look at one attorney’s federal litigation history will usually cost nothing.7PACER: Federal Court Records. PACER Pricing: How Fees Work PACER won’t tell you who won, but it shows what the attorney has been doing and how active the practice is. State and county court records vary; some have online portals, others require a trip to the clerk’s office.
Commercial rating platforms like Martindale-Hubbell and Avvo can add color on reputation and communication style. These are supplemental. A high rating doesn’t substitute for confirming the license and discipline record through the state bar, and some capable attorneys keep no profile on these sites at all.
If the Search Turns Up Problems
If the attorney is currently suspended or disbarred, don’t hire them. Legal work performed while ineligible to practice can be challenged or invalidated, and you’ll have little recourse to recover what you paid.
Past discipline with a currently active license takes judgment. Look at what the conduct was, how long ago it happened, and whether there’s a pattern. One reprimand from fifteen years ago for a missed deadline reads differently than three sanctions in the last five years for mishandling client funds. The bar record usually has enough detail to tell them apart.
If you’ve already hired an attorney and then find licensing or disciplinary problems, you can end the relationship at any time and you’re entitled to your case file and any documents you provided. If you believe the attorney committed misconduct, you can file a complaint with the state bar that issued the license; the ABA links to each state’s complaint process, and the investigation is free.1American Bar Association. Lawyer Licensing