New Fingerprinting Rule
By Deborah Wolfe
California attorneys need to know that as of June 1, 2018, all members of the California Bar are required to submit their fingerprints electronically to the State Bar. Most of us were fingerprinted (with real ink!) when we were sworn in as active members, but the Supreme Court ordered on May 23, 2018, that most actively practicing attorneys must be re-fingerprinted electronically by an approved Department of Justice Live-scan provider no later than April 30, 2019. Registered in-house counsel and foreign legal consultants need to submit fingerprints when renewing their registration by February 1, 2019. Failure of an attorney to comply with this Rule of Court, specifically Rule 9.9.5, by the deadline, subjects the attorney to monetary penalties, including potentially a license suspension (involuntary status change from “active” to “inactive”) until the requirement is met.
