How to check a lawyer's license before you share your documents

Each state licenses and disciplines its own lawyers. The ABA points to state agencies and says it cannot refer you to an attorney.

To check a lawyer's license, go to the state's own lawyer regulator or bar, not to the lawyer's website. Each state has its own agency for this. The American Bar Association says it is not a lawyer disciplinary agency and has no authority to investigate complaints against lawyers, and that each state has its own agency that does (ABA, checked 28 October 2026).

Steps

  1. Get the lawyer's full name and the state they say they are licensed in. Ask for their bar number if the state uses one.
  2. Open the ABA's FindLegalHelp.org page, which has a 'Lawyer Licensing' section described as a way to find out if a person is licensed as a lawyer in your state, and follow it to your state's lookup.
  3. Confirm the status is active and not suspended, disbarred or inactive.
  4. Look for public discipline. The ABA page for the public links a directory of state disciplinary agencies, and describes its National Lawyer Regulatory Data Bank as the only national repository of public sanctions imposed on lawyers in disciplinary cases.
  5. If the lawyer will appear in another state, ask who is licensed there. See [franchisee attorney](/guides/franchisee-attorney/) on admission across states.
  6. Keep a note of what you checked and the date. Lawyer status can change, so check again if you wait weeks before hiring.

What the ABA can and cannot do

FindLegalHelp.org has a 'Hire a Lawyer' section that it describes as unbiased referrals to affordable lawyers, but the same site says 'The Association is not able to refer you to an attorney.' It also says the site is a public service that is not legal advice or representation. The ABA's public resources page links a directory of lawyer referral services.

What a license check does not tell you

An active license shows the person may practise law in that state. It does not show experience with franchise disputes, and there is no ABA-accredited franchise-law specialty to look up: the ABA's accredited certification list covers 19 programs from 8 private organizations, and franchise law is not among them. State bar specialty programs were not checked.

For experience, ask the questions in questions for a first consultation. For fee rules, ABA Model Rule 1.5 says a lawyer shall not charge an unreasonable fee, and a contingent fee agreement must be in a writing signed by the client. States adopt their own versions of the rule.

Do this before sharing documents

A notice of default or termination often contains account numbers, names and contract terms. Confirm the license first, then send documents. This site cannot verify any lawyer and does not recommend one. A lawyer's own website, an advertisement or a directory listing is a claim by that lawyer or listing service; the state regulator's record is the check. The same goes for a firm that says it has lawyers in all states: ask which named lawyer is licensed in yours. See also franchise lawyer and free and low-cost franchise help.

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