John Michael Tolpa
On the New York attorney register since 2000 · office in San Diego, CA
PlainAttorney’s reading of the public register file, not a court record.
- Registration No.
- 3038460
- Admitted
- 2000 · First Department
- Status
- Currently registered
- Next registration
- Jan 2028
John Michael Tolpa is currently registered on the New York attorney register file of Sep 29, 2026. Admitted in 2000 in the First Department, with an office in San Diego, CA; next registration due Jan 2028. The status is the same in all 3 files we hold.
What this status means on the register
On the register, “Currently registered” means John Michael Tolpa has filed the biennial registration the court system requires; the next one is due in Jan 2028.
- Currently registered unchanged
- Currently registered unchanged
- Currently registered the first file we hold
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; the Jul 3, 2026 and Aug 6, 2026 files for the history.
Others who list this employer on the register
3 other attorneys list Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigan, LLP or one of its other names as their employer on the register; 0 of them were admitted before 2000. The 3 whose admission is closest to 2000, earliest first:
| Attorney | Admitted | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Viviane Kim Scott | 2016 | Due to re‑register |
| Emily Marie Cummins | 2017 | Currently registered |
| Victor Luis Arena | 2024 | Currently registered |
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; employer spellings merged (methodology).
Where this record sits on the register
John Michael Tolpa studied at Cornell Law School (the register spells it “CORNELL”). 1,467 of its 7,028 living graduates on the register were admitted in the 2000s, as John Michael Tolpa was.
- Same law school
- 7,028living graduates; 87.8% registered (current or due), against 87.1% overall
- Office in San Diego, CA
- 664living registrants (outside New York State)
Of the 664 living registrants with an office in San Diego, CA, 196 were admitted before 2000 and 455 after.
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; living registrants only.
Questions this record leads to
- Cornell Law School graduates on the register7,028 living, 87.8% registered.
- New York-admitted attorneys in San Diego, CA664 living registrants give an office there.
- Admitted in 20007,585 people admitted in 2000 are on the register, 2,884 of them through the First Department.
- Every registration that reads “Currently registered”286,911 on the register file of Sep 29, 2026, by decade of admission.
- What a New York lawyer may chargeThe court rules on fees, retainers and fee disputes, each cited.
How to confirm it officially
For a statement of John Michael Tolpa’s standing, contact the Attorney Registration Unit of the NY Office of Court Administration (nycourts.gov/attorneys), or ask the Appellate Division, First Department, which admitted John Michael Tolpa in 2000. The register places the office outside New York, so a complaint would go to that department’s grievance committee (22 NYCRR 1240.7(a)(2)).
This page reads the register file of Sep 29, 2026, and the court system’s own search can be newer; the register shows only the current value, so a suspension that ended before the files we hold, or a censure, leaves no trace here (Appellate Division decisions are published through the court system’s Law Reporting Bureau).