Michigan · State Bar of Michigan
Michigan attorney lookup in the State Bar Member Directory.
The State Bar of Michigan publishes a Member Directory that checks an attorney’s status and gives contact details. This page explains its search fields, its status filter and its disclaimer, and links to it.
Short answer: Open the State Bar of Michigan Member Directory and search by First Name, Last Name, Member Number, Firm Name, City or County, or narrow by State, Country, Committees and Sections. The License Status filter can be set to the good-standing group (Active and Inactive, Emeritus, Resigned, Suspended, Revoked and Deceased are the listed values) or to All Statuses. The bar’s home page lists the member number as P# among the Attorney Search fields. The directory says it lets you check an attorney’s status and locate their contact information, and its disclaimer says a listing does not demonstrate training, experience or expertise. This page does not look anyone up.
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What the directory asks for
The Member Directory read on November 11, 2026 offers these fields: First Name, Last Name, State, Country, Member Number, Firm Name, City, County, Committees, Sections and License Status. The field for the bar number is labelled Member Number in the directory; the State Bar’s home page describes its Attorney Search as searchable by, among other things, P#, which is the same number. Searching by number avoids every spelling problem, so use it when the lawyer’s letterhead or a court filing gives it.
The status filter
License Status is a dropdown with two settings. One is the good-standing group, described on the page as Good Standing: Active and Inactive, Emeritus, Resigned, Suspended, Revoked and Deceased; the other is All Statuses. The practical consequence is that a search left on the narrower setting can hide exactly the records you most want to see, so for a verification set it to All Statuses first and read the status on the record.
| Field | What it is | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Member Number (P#) | The State Bar member number | Whenever you have it; it is unique and spelling-proof |
| First Name, Last Name | Name as held by the bar | Start with the last name; try a maiden or hyphenated name next |
| Firm Name, City, County | Practice location | Narrow a common name |
| Committees, Sections | Bar involvement | Not needed for a status check |
| License Status | Good-standing group or All Statuses | Set All Statuses for a verification |
What the disclaimer says
The directory carries a disclaimer that this guide read in part. It says the directory is meant to provide basic information about attorneys licensed to practice in Michigan, that the State Bar does not endorse and makes no representations about any attorney or advertiser on the site, that a listing does not demonstrate training, experience or expertise, and that a decision should not be based solely on information on the website. The directory’s own summary of its purpose is narrower and more useful: it lets you check an attorney’s status and locate their contact information.
Worked example (hypothetical)
A Grand Rapids homeowner has an engagement letter signed by a lawyer with a P number on it. She opens the Member Directory, types the number in Member Number, sets License Status to All Statuses and finds one record. The status reads as active and the firm name matches the letterhead. She saves the record with the date. Had the status read Suspended or Revoked, she would stop and contact the State Bar before paying a retainer.
What this page does not cover
Admission dates, disciplinary history and the content of individual records, which the directory pages read do not describe; the Attorney Discipline Board, which is a separate body; and federal court admissions. Our US attorney bar number lookup covers ten other state directories.
Figures read from the sources below on November 11, 2026. Last updated November 11, 2026.
Sources
- State Bar of Michigan: Member Directory (search fields, License Status filter, disclaimer) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- State Bar of Michigan: home page (Attorney Search fields including P#; directory links) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedA suspended Michigan lawyer will always show up in a Member Directory search.
What the source saysThe License Status filter has a good-standing setting and an All Statuses setting; Suspended, Revoked and Deceased are listed values, so set All Statuses before concluding anything. [1]
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Often assumedThe Michigan directory has a field called P number.
What the source saysThe directory labels the field Member Number; the bar’s home page calls the same searchable field P#. [2]
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Often assumedBeing listed in the State Bar directory is the bar vouching for the lawyer.
What the source saysThe directory’s disclaimer says the State Bar does not endorse and makes no representations about any attorney on the site and that a listing does not demonstrate training, experience or expertise. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
How do I look up a Michigan attorney?
Open the State Bar of Michigan Member Directory and search by name, Member Number (the P number), firm, city or county; set License Status to All Statuses to see every record.
What is a Michigan P number?
The State Bar member number. The directory labels the field Member Number; the bar’s home page lists it as P# among the Attorney Search fields.
Which statuses does the directory list?
The License Status filter names Good Standing (Active and Inactive), Emeritus, Resigned, Suspended, Revoked and Deceased, or All Statuses.
Does a listing mean the lawyer is good?
No. The directory’s disclaimer says a listing does not demonstrate training, experience or expertise and that the State Bar makes no representations about any attorney on the site.
Does the directory show discipline history?
The directory pages read do not say so; they describe checking an attorney’s status and locating contact information. The Attorney Discipline Board is a separate body.
Does this page verify a lawyer?
No. It explains the official directory and links to it. Nothing ticked here is stored or sent.
Guide only, not a verification tool
This page is general information from an unofficial guide, not legal advice, and it is not affiliated with the regulator. Use the official register for the actual result. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.