North Carolina State Bar

The North Carolina State Bar was created in 1933 by the North Carolina General Assembly as the government agency responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in North Carolina. The State Bar currently regulates roughly 30,000 licensed lawyers. Protection of the public and protection of our system of justice are the objectives of regulation. The North Carolina State Bar is governed by a 61-member council whose members are lawyers elected by the lawyers in their home communities. The public’s interests are represented by three members of the council who are not lawyers and who are appointed by the governor and other elected officials. Four officers are elected by the members of the council to provide leadership. The daily operations of the State Bar are carried out by a staff of over 80 lawyers and nonlawyers. What We Do The key regulatory responsibility of the State Bar is the investigation and prosecution of lawyers who violate the State Bar’s code of ethics for lawyers. For information about the investigation and prosecution of a disciplinary action, filing a complaint against a lawyer, alternatives to filing a complaint, and disciplinary actions against specific lawyers, go to the "Lawyer Discipline" section of this website. In addition to lawyer discipline, the State Bar’s regulatory activities include: promoting the competency of lawyers and paralegals; adopting the code of ethics for lawyers (known as “The Rules of Professional Conduct”); counseling lawyers on how to follow the Rules; resolving fee disputes between lawyers and clients; preventing the practice of law by people who are not licensed; compensating clients who were the victims of lawyer theft (see Financial Theft by a Lawyer); and advancing the administration of justice.