NY Attorney Discipline Checker
Check whether an attorney has a disbarment, suspension, or disciplinary record in the NY OCA public dataset. Most attorneys return no record.
According to the New York Office of Court Administration, fewer than 25,000 of the 429,620 registered New York attorneys carry a public disbarment, suspension, or disciplinary-resignation status as of May 2026, so the large majority of searches return a clean result. This checker matches your query against that official discipline field directly, with no inference and no proprietary score. A clean result is reassuring but not proof of a spotless history, since discipline imposed in another state may not appear in the New York registry. See the methodology for how the status field is sourced and refreshed.
Enter an attorney name or bar number above to check.
Most searches return "no record found" - that is the expected, reassuring result.
What This Tool Checks
The tool searches the full NY OCA attorney-registration dataset, then filters results for three discipline-category statuses: Disbarred (permanent removal from the bar), Suspended (temporary or indefinite suspension of the right to practice), and Resigned Under Discipline (voluntary resignation while under investigation or proceeding).
"Currently registered" and "Delinquent" statuses are not shown in discipline results - a delinquent attorney has not yet renewed their registration for the current biennial period but does not have an active disciplinary action.
Data is refreshed quarterly. Recent discipline actions, expungements, or reinstatements may not yet be reflected. For authoritative real-time status, use the NY Courts Attorney Registration Search.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does "no record found" mean the attorney is in good standing?
A result of "no discipline record found" means the attorney does not appear in the NY OCA dataset with a Disbarred, Suspended, or disciplinary-resignation status as of the last quarterly refresh. It is not a certification of good standing. For a definitive current status, check directly with the New York State Bar or the NY Courts Attorney Registration portal.
What discipline statuses does this tool check?
The tool filters for three categories drawn from the NY OCA registration data: Disbarred (permanent removal), Suspended (temporary or indefinite), and Resigned Under Discipline (voluntary resignation while under disciplinary investigation or proceeding). Attorneys with a "Currently registered" or "Delinquent" status do not appear in discipline results.
Why might an attorney not appear even if they were disciplined?
The NY OCA dataset covers attorneys who registered with New York. An attorney disciplined in another state but not NY-registered would not appear. The dataset is also refreshed quarterly, so very recent actions may not yet be reflected. Always confirm directly with the New York OCA registry before making any consequential decision.
Can I search by bar number to check discipline?
Yes. Bar registration numbers are searchable in this tool the same as names. Enter the 7-digit NY registration number and the tool will return matching records, then filter for any discipline status. A numeric-only query is most precise for a one-to-one lookup.