Looking for a lawyer in California? Use the largest online attorney directory to quickly find detailed profiles of California lawyers and law firms in your area.
The Judiciary of California is defined under the California Constitution, law, and regulations as part of the Government of California. The judiciary has a hierarchical structure with the Supreme Court at the apex, California courts of appeal as the primary appellate courts, and the California superior courts as the primary trial courts. Its administration is effected by the Judicial Council and its staff, as well as the relatively autonomous courts. The judicial system of California is the largest in the United States that is fully staffed by professional law-trained judges.
The law of California consists of several levels, including constitutional, statutory, and regulatory law, as well as case law. The California Codes form the general statutory law. When deciding a case, courts in California may rely on both primary and secondary sources of legal authority. Primary sources create the law directly by promulgating binding rules that must be followed in California. Secondary sources influence the law indirectly by analyzing or explaining primary sources in order to clarify the current state of California law. California are obligated to follow primary sources of law when deciding cases, but they are free to disregard secondary sources if they disagree with them.
The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline. It is directly responsible to the Supreme Court of California. All attorney admissions and disbarments are issued as recommendations of the State Bar, which are then routinely ratified by the Supreme Court. Today, the State Bar of California is the largest state bar association in the United States