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- ADA Notice and Grievance Procedure
- Boards and Commissions Interest Form
- Client Security Fund
- Continuing Legal Education
- Discipline Letters
- Fee Dispute Resolution
- Foreign Legal Consultant
- Good Standing, Bar App, and Bar ID Card Request
- Grievances
- IOLTA
- Law Student Certification
- Legal Specialization
- Membership
- North Carolina State Bar Expense Report
- Paralegal Certification
- Prepaid Legal Services
- Pro Bono Status
- Professional Organizations
- Pro Hac Vice
- Succession Planning
- Trade Names
- Trust Accounts
- Unauthorized Practice of Law
- Website Document Providers
Boards and Commissions Interest Form
If you are interested in serving on a North Carolina State Bar affiliated board or commission, please complete this application in order to be considered as a candidate.
Continuing Legal Education
Applying for CLE Credit as a Member of the North Carolina State Bar
Individual members of the North Carolina State Bar may apply for CLE credit in North Carolina when the course sponsor is unwilling to apply on the member's behalf. Bar members may apply for CLE credit after completing the program. Bar members that teach a CLE course may also apply for teaching credit.
Please use our searchable database of courses to see if the course has already been approved for CLE credit.
Complete the appropriate teacher's form below
CLE Credit forms:
Bar Member's Application for CLE Credit
Teacher's Application for CLE Credit
Teacher's Application for CLE Credit - Teaching at a Law School or Paralegal School
Teacher's Application for CLE Credit - Teaching a Continuing Paralegal Education (CPE) Program
Attach the following materials to the above form for review by the North Carolina State Bar CLE department and submit via email:
a detailed timeline agenda for the course
a brief description of the program content including the target audience and course objectives
a list or outline of the course materials (if available)
ethics materials if you are requesting ethics credit.
Please note: Do not send a large packet of written materials for review. We only require a list of materials to be distributed to participants. If no written materials are appropriate for the program, please indicate this by attaching an explanatory memo.
All of the above materials, including the application form, are necessary for the CLE department to approve a course for CLE credit. Incomplete application packets cannot be considered for approval and will delay the process for you.
Reinstatement
If you are seeking reinstatement to the State Bar after being inactive or administratively suspended for one year or less, please follow the instructions accompanying the short form petition for reinstatement.
If you are seeking reinstatement to the State Bar after being inactive or administratively suspended for more than one year, please follow the instructions accompanying the long form petition for reinstatement.
Good Standing, Bar App, and Bar ID Card Request
Member Request Form (Certificate of Good Standing, Bar App, and Bar ID Card Request)
For a Certificate of Good Standing from the NC Supreme Court (the highest court of the state) contact the NC Supreme Court.
For a certificate as required by the NC Secretary of State for a PA, PC, or PLLC see the Professional Organizations section below.
Grievances
(Submit the form via mail or email to complaints@ncbar.gov.)
If you are a complainant, you can request information about the status of a grievance at grievancestatus@ncbar.gov.
Law Student Certification
Overview: New Process for Law Student Certification
Instructions for Law Student Certification Application - Individual
Instructions for Law Student Certification Application - Bulk
Forms:
Legal Specialization
Certification
Applications for specialization are completed in the State Bar Membership Portal.
Recertification
Recertification applications will be available in the State Bar Membership Portal on July 1. Please contact Katie Seruset with any questions about the recertification application process.
Supplemental Application Forms (Recertification)
Elder Law recertification applicants do NOT need to complete a supplemental form.
Social Security Disability Law
Supplemental Application Forms (Certification)
Privacy and Information Security
Social Security Disability Law
Waiver of Strict Compliance
Recertification – Request for a Waiver of Strict Compliance
NC LEAF Application
Scholarships Opportunities for Prosecutors, Public Defenders, and Legal Service Providers: As a lawyer who works in public service, you may have the opportunity to qualify for a scholarship to cover the initial certification application fee. A limited number of scholarships are available through a joint program with the NC Legal Education Assistance Foundation (NC LEAF), so apply early!
Click here for additional information about the NC LEAF Specialization Scholarship Fund. For information about NC LEAF, visit their website.
Applications for the NC LEAF Specialization Scholarship: The scholarship application is now a part of the certification application, available through the State Bar Member’s Portal.
Please contact Sheila Saucier with any questions about the application process.
Declaration of Intent to Apply for Specialty Certification
Submission of this declaration form allows the specialization staff to review the applicant’s progress toward meeting the standards for certification, as well as to keep the applicant informed of application deadlines and other available resources. No payment is due with the declaration.
Declaration Form or contact Sheila Saucier for a PDF form.
Membership
Petitions:
Petition for Transfer to Inactive Status
Petition for Reinstatement - Short Form (Inactive or Administratively Suspended 12 Months or Less)
Petition for Reinstatement - Long Form (Inactive or Administratively Suspended More Than 12 Months)Transfer from Administrative Suspension to Inactive StatusPetition For Emeritus Pro Bono Status For Inactive MembersPetition for Pro Bono Practice by Out-of-State LawyerPro Bono Supervision for Emeritus or Out of State Attorney
Forms:
Discipline History RequestMember Mailing List Request Form
Member Request Form (Good Standing, Bar App, and Bar ID Card Request)
Member Name Change FormOath of Office
Paralegal Certification
Certification Form
The certification form can be accessed through the State Bar’s member portal. To access the application, applicants must create an account through the online portal; if you are a returning applicant, you may log into the portal using the same information associated with your prior application (your CP number is your username). All fees associated with the certification process may be paid through the portal. If you have issues with the portal or if you need to make other arrangements for submitting your application and/or payment, please contact the Paralegal Certification Program at paralegalmembership@ncbar.gov.
Recertification Form
The recertification form can be accessed through the State Bar’s member portal. To access the application, log into the portal using the same credentials used to log into the prior certified paralegal membership site (your CP number is your username; you may reset your password through the portal if needed). All CPE/CLE courses attended may be uploaded through the portal’s recertification application, and all fees associated with the recertification process may be paid through the portal. If you have issues with the portal or if you need to make other arrangements for submitting your application and/or payment, please contact the Paralegal Certification Program at paralegalmembership@ncbar.gov.
Certified paralegals who have retired from the workforce may now petition the board for retired status. If granted, retired status allows a certified paralegal to hold him or herself out as a “North Carolina State Bar Retired Certified Paralegal.”
You can petition the board for inactive status based on financial hardship, illness, disability, or active military duty for you or your spouse. This inactive status would last for a period of one year, with the requirement that you must either petition the board to remain inactive each year, or file a renewal application to seek reinstatement to active status.
Application for Designation as a Qualified Paralegal Studies Program
Qualification as a paralegal studies program under the Plan for Certification of Paralegals does not constitute an approval or an endorsement of the program by the Board of Paralegal Certification or the North Carolina State Bar.
Sponsor's Request for Approval of a CPE Activity
Paralegal's Request for Approval of a CPE Activity
CLE/CPE Certificate of Attendance and Teaching Credit for Paralegals
Professional Organizations
Application processing time is three to five business days from date of receipt.
PA/PC ApplicationPA/PC Amendment/Name Change InstructionsPA/PC Dissolution Instructions (for use only by law firms)
PLLC ApplicationPLLC Amendment/Name Change InstructionsPLLC Dissolution Instructions (for use only by law firms)
Interstate/International Law Firm (ILF) Registration
ILF Amendment/Name Change Instructions
ILF Withdrawal Instructions
Applicants who are NC-licensed lawyers seeking to incorporate/organize a solo practice but hold a license and maintain an office in another jurisdiction as a sole practitioner should register as a Dual Licensure Interstate/International Law Firm.
Dual Licensure Interstate/International Law Firm - PA/PC ApplicationDual Licensure Interstate/International Law Firm - PLLC Application
Click here to read an article on authorized practice compliance issues for interstate law firms.
Pro Hac Vice
Pro Hac Vice Admission Registration Statement and Filing Instructions
Update Form for New Sponsoring Attorney (to update a prior Pro Hac Vice Admission Registration Statement when the NC sponsoring attorney has withdrawn and a new NC attorney has been appointed)
Trade Names
Note: The NC State Bar no longer requires trade name registration. Trade/Assumed names and d.b.a.s can be filed with the Register of Deeds for the county in which your firm exists.
Trade Name Guidelines
A lawyer or law firm may be designated by a trade name, a distinctive website address, social media username, or comparable professional designation. Such designations no longer need to be registered with the State Bar, but still must comply with Rule 7.1 in that such designations cannot be false or misleading.
For example, a law firm name or designation is misleading if it implies a connection with 1) a government agency, 2) a deceased or retired lawyer who was not a former principal of the firm, 3) a lawyer not associated with the firm or a predecessor firm, 4) a nonlawyer, or 5) a public or charitable legal services organization. See Rule 7.1 cmt. 5. Additionally, if a firm uses a trade name that includes a geographical name such as “Springfield Legal Clinic,” an express statement explaining that it is not a public or charitable legal services organization may be required to avoid a misleading implication. Id.
A trade name may also not compare a lawyer or law firm’s services with others or imply a promised result.
If you have questions about whether a trade name complies with Rule 7.1, you may request advice from the State Bar’s ethics department by emailing ethicsadvice@ncbar.gov.
Website Document Providers
Pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 84-2.2, all persons, firms, or companies that operate a website that offers consumers access to interactive software that generates a legal document based on the consumer’s answers to questions presented by the software that complies with the requirements of the statute must register with the North Carolina State Bar by completing a Website Document Provider Registration before commencing operation in North Carolina.
Renew your registration with this form.
Important Notice
The North Carolina State Bar has recently launched a redesigned website to improve accessibility and navigation. If you experience any broken links or access errors, you may submit website feedback at: webmaster@ncbar.gov