Guide to Finding San Francisco Attorneys

San Francisco Attorneys are lawyers who are barred in the State of California and practice law in the City and County of San Francisco. In order to be a San Francisco 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 Francisco courts.  

San Francisco attorneys should become members of the San Francisco Bar Association.  The San Francisco Bar Association can be found at www.sfbar.org and helps both the public and lawyers with legal matters having to do with a San Francisco attorneys practice, ethical questions, etc.

How to become a San Francisco Attorney

In order to practice law within the city and county of San Francisco an individual who wishes to become a San Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco attorney must also take and pass the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Exam with the 86, the highest requirement in the country.  The San Francisco 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 Francisco lawyer meets the high standards of a San Francisco attorney.

San Francisco Courthouse

The City and County of San Francisco has its courthouse at the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco.  The court is located in two locations within the city that handle different matters.

The Civic Center located at 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102 is where all civil, probate, family, and small claims cases are heard that arise out of the city and county of San Francisco.  The Civic Center may be contacted at 415-551-4000

The Hall of Justice, located at 850 Bryant St., San Francisco, CA 94103 handles all criminal matters within the city and county of San Francisco.  The Hall of Justice may be contacted at 415-551-0651.

Other divisions of the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco include the probate division, traffic division and the family court.  

Finding a San Francisco attorney

If you are trying to find a San Francisco 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 Francisco attorneys in the past. You can also find San Francisco attorneys through an internet search. Almost all San Francisco attorneys maintain websites that can inform you of the attorneys education, experience, specialization and any victories that that San Francisco attorney may have accomplished. Although this is a good resource these websites are used to promote the San Francisco attorney and the positive information should not be taken at its word.

You can take advantage of the San Francisco Bar Association’s referral source at www.sfbar.org  or by calling 415-989-1616.  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 Francisco attorney who can help you with your legal issue. The service will charge you $35 for an initial 30 minute consultation with a San Francisco attorney.  If your matter is a personal injury where you are the plaintiff then the consultation fee will be waived.  After the initial consultation it is up to you and your San Francisco attorney to make arrangements for future representation. You are under no obligation to take on the services of the San Francisco Attorney who is appointed to you through the referral service and the San Francisco attorney is under no obligation to represent you. However, any conversation you have with that San Francisco attorney, whether there is future representation or not.

If you cannot afford a San Francisco attorney then you may be able to qualify for free legal aid through the San Francisco Bar Association.  If your matter involves family court, eviction, tort defense, consumer law, tax or business law then you may qualify for free legal help if you meet the poverty standards of the San Francisco Bar Association.  Call 415-989-1616 to see if you qualify.  In addition the Free Legal Advice & Referral Clinic (LARC) is a free legal service that meets twice a month at different locations in San Francisco.  This service supplies San Francisco Attorneys who can meet with individuals seeking brief legal advice.  The San Francisco attorney at the LARC meeting will be able to give you brief advice or even help refer you to some other attorney or organization that may be able to help you.  To find out when the next meeting and locations are please call 415-989-1616 and ask for an LARC representative.