State bar association
Encyclopedia
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
that represents or seeks to represent all of the attorneys in a specific U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
. Membership in such an association may be voluntary or mandatory for practitioners in that state. State bar associations may be tasked with the administration of the state bar examination
Bar examination
A bar examination is an examination conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction.-Brazil:...
and subsequent discipline of attorneys for ethical or other violations. State bars typically provide services for members such as maintaining a directory
Directory (databases)
Generally, a directory, as used in computing and telephony, refers to a repository or database of information which is heavily optimized for reading, under the assumption that data updates are very rare compared to data reads...
of attorneys in the state, facilitating social events for attorneys, and publishing a bar journal
Bar journal
A bar journal is a trade magazine published by a bar association, a lawyers association....
. They may also require the completion of Continuing Legal Education
Continuing Legal Education
Continuing legal education is professional education of lawyers that takes place after their initial admission to the bar. In many states in the United States, CLE participation is required of attorneys to maintain their license to practice law...
credits, and may provide classes which fulfill these credits.
Voluntary and mandatory bars
A mandatory or integrated bar association is one to which a state delegates the authority to regulate the admission of attorneys to practiceAdmission to the bar
An admission to practice law, also called admission to the bar, is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. Becoming a lawyer is a widely varied process around the world. Common to all jurisdictions are requirements of age and competence; some jurisdictions also require citizenship...
in that state; typically these require membership in that bar association to practice in that state.
In the other states, membership in the bar associations is voluntary. In some states, a mandatory organization exists primarily for the purpose of regulating admission to practice, while a voluntary organization exists for the purpose of promoting relations within the legal community. In Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, for example, the Virginia State Bar
Virginia State Bar
Created in 1938, The Virginia State Bar is the administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia whose purpose is to regulate, improve and advance the legal profession in Virginia. The Bar was established by an act of the Virginia General Assembly and is delegated the power to issue...
is the mandatory organization and the Virginia Bar Association
Virginia Bar Association
The Virginia Bar Association is a voluntary organization of lawyers in Virginia, with offices in Richmond, Virginia.- VBA Mission : is the independent voice of the Virginia lawyer, advancing the highest ideals of the profession through advocacy and volunteer service.- History :The VBA, , was...
is voluntary.
There are many other bar associations, typically organized by geography (e.g. county bar associations), area of practice, or affiliation (e.g. ethnic bar associations).
Continuing Legal Education requirements
Many state bar associations require members to complete Continuing Legal EducationContinuing Legal Education
Continuing legal education is professional education of lawyers that takes place after their initial admission to the bar. In many states in the United States, CLE participation is required of attorneys to maintain their license to practice law...
("CLE") requirements, and also offer courses for lawyers in their area, with discounts to members of the particular bar association. For example, the State Bar of Texas
State Bar of Texas
The State Bar of Texas is an agency of the judiciary under the administrative control of the Texas Supreme Court. The Texas Bar is responsible for assisting the Texas Supreme Court in overseeing all attorneys licensed to practice law in Texas...
mandates that every licensed attorney complete at least fifteen hours of continuing legal education classes each year. Uniquely, the Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
Bar Association offers a two-day program known as Kentucky Law Update, conducted in at least seven locations throughout the state, that allows its members to satisfy their annual CLE requirement without a registration fee.
See also
- Alabama State BarAlabama State BarThe Alabama State Bar is the integrated bar association of the U.S. state of Alabama.The Alabama State Bar was established in 1923 and is part of the 1975 Alabama Code, §§ 34-3-1 to 34-3-89....
- Alaska Bar Association
- State Bar of ArizonaState Bar of ArizonaThe State Bar of Arizona regulates the practice of law in Arizona. It licenses lawyers and establishes procedures for the discipline of misconduct by lawyers....
- Arkansas Bar Association
- State Bar of CaliforniaState Bar of CaliforniaThe State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...
- Colorado Bar Association
- Connecticut Bar Association
- Delaware State Bar Association
- District of Columbia Bar
- The Florida BarThe Florida BarThe Florida Bar is the integrated bar association for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar association in the United States. Its duties include the regulation and discipline of attorneys....
- State Bar of GeorgiaState Bar of GeorgiaThe State Bar of Georgia is the governing body of the legal profession in Georgia, operating under the supervision of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Membership is a condition of admission to practice law in Georgia....
- Hawaii State Bar Association
- Idaho State Bar
- Illinois State Bar AssociationIllinois State Bar AssociationThe Illinois State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the country. Approximately 30,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISBA membership is not required of lawyers licensed to practice in...
- Indiana State Bar Association
- Iowa State Bar AssociationIowa State Bar AssociationThe Iowa State Bar Association is a voluntary bar association for the state of Iowa. The Iowa bar association was founded in 1874....
- Kansas Bar AssociationKansas Bar AssociationThe Kansas Bar Association is a voluntary, non-profit bar association for the state of Kansas with the headquarters located at 12th and Harrison St. in Topeka. The KBA has approximately 7,000 members and was founded in 1882.- Membership :...
- Kentucky Bar Association
- Louisiana State Bar Association
- Maine State Bar Association
- Maryland State Bar Association
- Massachusetts Bar AssociationMassachusetts Bar AssociationThe Massachusetts Bar Association is a voluntary, non-profit bar association in Massachusetts with a headquarters on West Street in Boston's Downtown Crossing. The MBA also has a Western Massachusetts office....
- State Bar of MichiganState Bar of MichiganThe State Bar of Michigan is an organization of lawyers in the State of Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in the state of Michigan...
- Minnesota State Bar AssociationMinnesota State Bar AssociationThe Minnesota State Bar Association is a professional association of lawyers, judges, and other legal practitioners, such as clerks, registrars, and paralegals. The MSBA is one of the oldest state bar associations in the United States. The association was organized in 1883 and claims a membership...
- Mississippi Bar Association
- Missouri Bar Association
- State Bar of Montana
- Nebraska State Bar Association
- State Bar of Nevada
- New Hampshire Bar Association
- New Jersey State Bar AssociationNew Jersey State Bar AssociationThe New Jersey State Bar Association is the publisher of New Jersey Lawyer Magazine. It operates the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law with the state and federal judiciaries. Membership requires that applicants have a bona fide New Jersey law office....
- State Bar of New Mexico
- New York State Bar AssociationNew York State Bar AssociationThe New York State Bar Association , with 77,000 members, is the largest voluntary bar association in the United States.-History:The State Bar was founded with a constitution that dates to 1877...
- North Carolina State Bar
- State Bar Association of North Dakota
- Ohio State Bar AssociationOhio State Bar AssociationThe Ohio State Bar Association is a voluntary professional association for anyone who has been admitted to the practice of law in the U.S. state of Ohio. Membership includes more than 26,000 Ohio lawyers and judges, almost 70 percent of all Ohio law practitioners. With the addition of paralegals,...
- Oklahoma Bar Association
- Oregon State BarOregon State BarThe Oregon State Bar is a government agency in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulates the legal profession. The public corporation is part of the Oregon Judicial Department...
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Rhode Island Bar AssociationRhode Island Bar AssociationThe Rhode Island Bar Association is the integrated bar association of the U.S. state of Rhode Island.-Organization:...
- South Carolina BarSouth Carolina BarThe South Carolina Bar is the integrated bar association of the U.S. state of South Carolina.-Organization:The South Carolina Bar began in 1884 as the South Carolina Bar Association, a professional organization of approximately 200 lawyers; the group was voluntary, with no mandates to join being...
- State Bar of South Dakota
- Tennessee Bar Association
- State Bar of TexasState Bar of TexasThe State Bar of Texas is an agency of the judiciary under the administrative control of the Texas Supreme Court. The Texas Bar is responsible for assisting the Texas Supreme Court in overseeing all attorneys licensed to practice law in Texas...
- Utah State Bar
- Vermont Bar Association
- Virginia Bar AssociationVirginia Bar AssociationThe Virginia Bar Association is a voluntary organization of lawyers in Virginia, with offices in Richmond, Virginia.- VBA Mission : is the independent voice of the Virginia lawyer, advancing the highest ideals of the profession through advocacy and volunteer service.- History :The VBA, , was...
(voluntary) - Virginia State BarVirginia State BarCreated in 1938, The Virginia State Bar is the administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia whose purpose is to regulate, improve and advance the legal profession in Virginia. The Bar was established by an act of the Virginia General Assembly and is delegated the power to issue...
(mandatory) - Washington State Bar AssociationWashington State Bar AssociationThe Washington State Bar Association is the mandatory statewide bar association of Washington State. As an administrative arm of the Washington State Supreme Court, it administers the admissions, licensing, and discipline functions for lawyers licensed in Washington. It also acts as their...
- West Virginia State Bar
- State Bar of Wisconsin
- Wyoming State Bar
External links
- List of State Bar Associations, courtesy Hieros Gamos