A state bar association is a

bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separ ...

that represents or seeks to represent the attorneys practicing law in a particular

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

. Their functions differ from state to state, but often include administration of the state

bar examination A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associ ...

for admission of attorneys to practice law, regulation of

continuing legal education Continuing legal education (CLE), also known as mandatory or minimum continuing legal education (MCLE) or, in some jurisdictions outside the United States, as continuing professional development, consists of professional education for attorneys t ...

and other requirements, collection and monitoring of attorney client trust accounts, collection of fees and discipline of attorneys for ethical or other violations. Some state bars also provide services for members such as maintaining a

directory Directory may refer to: * Directory (computing), or folder, a file system structure in which to store computer files * Directory (OpenVMS command) * Directory service, a software application for organizing information about a computer network's u ...

of attorneys in the state, facilitating networking and social events for attorneys, publishing a

bar journal A ''bar journal'' is a trade magazine published by a bar association, a lawyers association.* Bryan A. Garner, editor, ''Black's Law Dictionary'' 8th ed. (West Group, 2004) . See also *''ABA Journal'' *''Law review A law review or law journ ...

and providing classes to fulfill these CLE credits requirements.

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 practice in that state; typically these require membership in that bar association to practice in that state. Mandatory bars derive their power from legislative statute and/or from the power of the state court system to regulate practice before it. 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 other purposes. For example, in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, the

Virginia State Bar The Virginia State Bar (VSB) is the administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia created to regulate, improve and advance the legal profession in Virginia. Membership in good standing in the VSB is mandatory for attorneys wishing to pr ...

is the mandatory organization and the

Virginia Bar Association The Virginia Bar Association (VBA) is a voluntary organization of lawyers, judges and law school faculty and students in Virginia, with offices in Richmond, Virginia. Key elements are advocacy, professionalism, service and collegiality. It provi ...

is voluntary. There are many bar associations other than state bar associations. Usually these are organized by geography (e.g. county bar associations), area of practice, or affiliation (e.g. ethnic bar associations).

Continuing legal education requirements

The rules of most state bar associations require members to complete continuing legal education (CLE) requirements., and also offer courses for lawyers in their area, with discounts to members of the particular bar association. A great many organizations offer CLE programs, including most or all state bar associations. Uniquely, the

Kentucky Bar Association The Kentucky Bar Association (KBA) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Kentucky. History In 1871, the first meeting of lawyers from across Kentucky was held in Louisville and created a voluntary association. In ...

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.

References

External links

Directory of State and Local Bar Associations
American Bar Association {{State bar associations navbox *