In Utah, each licensed attorney is assigned a bar number. Mine, for example, is 7559. An attorney bar number (also often called a bar license number or registration number) is a unique identifier assigned to a lawyer by the state bar association or the regulatory agency that governs the practice of law in a specific jurisdiction.
A genuine bar number is proof that the attorney has met the state’s requirements, passed the bar examination, and is licensed to practice law in that state.
The bar number can provide you with information of significant value. Such as?
Generally speaking, the higher the attorney’s bar number the less experience he/she has. For example, I was admitted to the Utah Bar in 1996, and my bar number is 7559 (four digits). An attorney who recently passed the Utah State bar examination in 2025 would have a bar number of 20XXX (five digits). And an attorney who passed bar examination 50 years ago could have a bar number of three digits.
Experience vs. Date of Admission. But the higher the bar number does not always mean the attorney is less experienced than an attorney will lower number. Utah bar numbers are assigned sequentially as attorneys are admitted to the bar. This is why generally a higher number usually indicates a more recent admission date. Attorneys who are admitted through reciprocity (meaning they practiced in another state first) are given a new, high Utah bar number, even if they have decades of experience elsewhere.
A lawyer with a low bar number might have been inactive for decades or may have a different work history that doesn’t reflect continuous legal practice (e.g., worked as a corporate executive, professor, or in government for many years). A newer lawyer (high bar number) might have incredible, specialized experience gained quickly through a high-volume public defender’s office, clerkship, or prestigious firm.
To learn more in-depth about a lawyer’s true experience and capabilities, you can use the bar number to start your research. Once you have the attorney’s Utah bar number, you can look up his/her profile in the Utah state bar’s Member Directory. This directory will either provide or help you find:
· Date of Admission: This tells you the exact year the attorney started practicing in that state.
· Active/Inactive Status: This confirms the attorney is currently licensed.
· Disciplinary History: whether they were the subject of any serious professional discipline.
· Utah’s attorney directory also provides information on whether the attorney has been in practice for 3 years or less, where the attorney attended law school, and some attorneys will also provide their addresses, office phone numbers, and email addresses in their profiles.
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