Look up any NY attorney.
Check their record first.
429,620 attorney profiles · bar status · discipline history · CFPB firm complaints · colleague networks · law-school active rates. Free public lookup.
The New York bar, in one line
Of 429,620 attorneys ever admitted to the New York bar, 284,296 — roughly two-thirds — remain actively registered, while 23,319 carry a public suspension or disbarment on record.
- 66%
- of all admitted attorneys are still actively registered
- 23,319
- carry a public discipline flag (disbarred or suspended)
- 2,609
- New York cities have at least one registered attorney
- 2,782
- law schools have a graduate on the New York register
Every figure is pulled directly from the New York Office of Court Administration attorney registry — no proprietary ratings, no rankings.
Top Cities by Attorney Count
View all →Where New York's attorneys practice
Registered attorneys with an office in each city — the eight largest markets
- New York, NY
New York, NY
86,723 attorneys
- Washington, DC 10,873
Washington, DC
10,873 attorneys
- Brooklyn, NY 6,516
Brooklyn, NY
6,516 attorneys
- Albany, NY 3,427
Albany, NY
3,427 attorneys
- Buffalo, NY 3,235
Buffalo, NY
3,235 attorneys
- White Plains, NY 3,095
White Plains, NY
3,095 attorneys
- Boston, MA 2,601
Boston, MA
2,601 attorneys
- Los Angeles, CA 2,537
Los Angeles, CA
2,537 attorneys
What this shows New York City dwarfs every other market; the rest of the register spreads across a long tail of 2,609 cities statewide.
Discipline Records
View all →Transparency matters. PlainAttorney surfaces public discipline data that other directories hide.
Popular Law Schools
View all →NY attorney landscape · current OCA cycle
Where NY attorneys keep their offices
Each rectangle is sized in proportion to the number of NY-licensed attorneys with an office in that city. New York City dominates as expected; the long tail spans 2,609 cities. Sourced from the NY OCA attorney registry, with no proprietary weighting.
Top 12 cities by NY-licensed attorney office count (Source: NY OCA registry)
Guides & explainers
Plain-language context for public bar records — understanding attorney credentials, bar status codes, and discipline records. Every guide is written to help you interpret what the public data actually shows.
How to Choose the Right Lawyer
A framework for evaluating attorneys based on credentials, experience, and discipline records.
Checking Attorney Discipline Records
What discipline records show, what they do not, and how to interpret them.
Attorney Search Tips
Step-by-step guide to finding and verifying an attorney using public bar records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PlainAttorney?
PlainAttorney is a free attorney lookup tool powered by public state bar records. We make it easy to search attorney registrations, check bar status, and review discipline history.
Where does the data come from?
Attorney registration data comes from the New York Office of Court Administration, published as open data via data.ny.gov. This is publicly available government data.
Is this free to use?
Yes. PlainAttorney is completely free to use. We are supported by advertising.
Does PlainAttorney provide legal advice?
No. PlainAttorney is an informational resource only. We do not provide legal advice, referrals, or endorsements. Always verify attorney credentials directly with your state bar.
This information is sourced from public state bar records. PlainAttorney does not provide legal advice. Use this data for informational purposes only. Always verify attorney credentials with the relevant state bar.
About this data
PlainAttorney publishes the actual New York State bar registration and discipline records: bar status, admission history, and public disciplinary actions for every attorney admitted to the New York bar. No proprietary ratings, no attorney rankings, no editorial scores.
Every record on this site traces to the New York Office of Court Administration or a court system source. Full methodology →
Primary sources: NY OCA Attorney Registration · NY OCA Attorney Discipline · CFPB Consumer Complaint Database