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Guide to Finding San Diego Attorneys

Guide to Finding San Diego Attorneys

San Diego Attorneys are lawyers who are barred in the State of California and practice law in the City and County of San Diego. In order to be a San Diego attorney an individual must be in good standing with the California Bar Association, uphold the ethical and professional standards of the Rules of Professional Responsibility, have little, to no, adverse disciplinary action taken against them be admitted to practice in the San Diego courts.  
San Diego attorneys should become members of the San Diego County Bar Association.  The San Diego County Bar Association can be found at www.sdcbaa.org and helps both the public and lawyers with legal matters having to do with a San Diego attorneys practice, ethical questions, etc.
How to become a San Diego Attorney
In order to practice law within the city and county of San Diego an individual who wishes to become a San Diego Attorney must meet the educational, as well as ethical requirements of the California Bar Association.  First, and foremost, an individual must be a graduate, with at least a bachelor’s degree, from an accredited college or university.  In addition the San Diego Attorney applicant must have graduated from a 3 year law school program that is approved by the American Bar Association.  There are alternatives to graduating from law school and these matters should be discussed with the American Bar Association or the California Bar Association.
A San Diego Attorney must take, and pass, the California Bar Exam.  The California Bar Exam,often considered the hardest in the country, is a 3 day exam that is administered twice a year, once in February and again in July.  Day one and three of the California Bar Exam consist of two morning sessions with 3 essay questions and an afternoon session consisting of performance tests.  All questions on the first and third day are based on the substantive and procedural laws of California.  The second day is the Multi-State Bar Exam which is a 200 question multiple choice exam that is administered on a national scale by the National Board of Bar Examiners that tests on the general laws in evidence, criminal law, torts, contracts and constitutional law.  The exam is graded by weighing the first and third day as 65% of the overall score with the MBE comprising 35%.  The passing rate for the July exam is roughly 57% with the February exam at 38%.  
In addition an individual who wishes to become a San Diego attorney must also take and pass the Multi-State Professional Responsibility  Exam with the 86, the highest requirement in the country.  The San Diego attorney applicant must also complete a character and fitness application that includes information about previous employers, education, addresses, criminal history, etc., in order to gauge whether the applicant for San Diego lawyer meets the high standards of a San Diego attorney.
San Diego County Courthouse
The City and County of San Diego holds court in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego.  The court is located in a number of locations throughout the city and county of San Diego.  There are 10 locations within San Diego County where trials occur through the Superior Courts.  
Civil cases and small claims are held in the Hall of Justice at:
330 West Broadway, Rm 225
San Diego, CA 92101
Criminal cases are held in the San Diego Courthouse at:
220 West Broadway 
San Diego, CA 92101
Probate Matters are held at the Madge Bradley building at 1409 Fourth Ave. and juvenile matters are heard at the Kearny Mesa Branch at 8950 Clairmont Memorial Blvd.  Both locations are in San Diego, California.  
These are just 4 of the branches of the Superior Court for the County of San Diego.  For more information see the court information page at www.sdcourt.ca.gov
Finding a San Diego attorney
If you are trying to find a San Diego attorney you can begin your search by asking other people including your friends, family and co-workers who you know have used legal representation through San Diego attorneys in the past. You can also find San Diego attorneys through an internet search. Almost all San Diego attorneys maintain websites that can inform you of the attorneys education, experience, specialization and any victories that that San Diego attorney may have accomplished. Although this is a good resource these websites are used to promote the San Diego attorney and the positive information should not be taken at its word.
You can take advantage of the San Diego County Bar Association’s referral service at www.sdcba.org  or by calling 619-231-8585.  By answering some basic questions including your contact information, and a brief description of your legal problem a representative will put you in touch with a San Diego attorney who can help you with your legal issue. The service is free for a 30 minute consultation.   After the initial consultation it is up to you and your San Diego attorney to make arrangements for future representation. You are under no obligation to take on the services of the San Diego Attorney who is appointed to you through the referral service and the San Diego attorney is under no obligation to represent you. However, any conversation you have with that San Diego attorney, whether there is future representation or not.
In addition, the to San Diego attorney referrals the San Diego County Bar Association also offers a Client Relations Program and a Fee Arbitration Program.  The Client Relations Program allows individuals to call the San Diego County Bar Association at 619-231-0781 or at arbitration@sdcba.org to file an informal complaint against your San Diego Attorney if you feel they have acted unprofessionally.  If you have a fee dispute you can call the same number and apply for the San Diego County Bar Associations Fee Arbitration Program.  By using the program you will be entitled to a 3 hour arbitration session to come to a binding agreement about your disputed attorney fee.  The arbitration will cost you 5% of the amount in dispute.  At a minimum this will be $75 and no more than $5,000.
You can also take advantage of the laws.com referral service to find a San Diego Attorney who practices law in the area where you need help.  By clicking on the “find a lawyer” link on the top of this page you will be brough to the laws.com referral.  From there you will input data including your name, contact information and location.  A representative from laws.com will notify you of a San Diego attorney who may be able to help you.