Bar Associations
Bar associations are membership organizations designed to raise the standards of the legal profession and to encourage professional unity. Each state has its own bar association. There are also a variety of national, state, local, and special-interest bar associations. Many bar associations sponsor programs intended to broaden the availability of legal services and to familiarize the public with the legal profession. They also conduct extensive continuing legal education programs to help members update their skills and their knowledge of the law.
The American Bar Association (ABA) is the largest national organization of attorneys in the United States with 413,108 members. The ABA sponsors a number of programs dealing with legal education, law reform, judicial selection, and professional responsibility. The ABA also publishes the "Model Rules of Professional Conduct," a set of regulations governing ethical standards in the practice of law. Attorneys who violate such standards are subject to censure, suspension, or disbarment by the state bar admitting authorities.
Additionally, there are local and national chapters of bar associations for lawyers from minority groups. Among them are the National Bar Association, National Hispanic Bar Association, National Asian and Pacific American Bar Association, and the Native American Bar Association. For more information on events sponsored by these organizations, visit our sites related to legal education section or contact the LSAC Office of Minority Affairs at mile@lsac.org.
