AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a Тationwide organization to which qualified
attorneys voluntarily belong.With over 400,000 members the ABA is the largest voluntary pro-
fessional organization in the world.
The American Bar Association was founded
in 1878 to improve LEGAL EDUCATION, to set
requirements to be satisfied to gain admittance
to the bar, and to facilitate the exchange of ideas
and information among its members. Over the
years, the ABA has been largely responsible for
the further development of American JURISPRU-
DENCE, the establishment of formal education
requirements for persons seeking to become
attorneys, the formulation of ethical principles
that govern the PRACTICE OF LAW, and the cre-
ation of the American Law Institute (ALI) and
the Conference of Commissioners on Uniform
State Laws, which advance the fair administra-
tion of justice through encouraging uniformity
of statutes and judicial decisions whenever prac-
ticable. In recent years, the ABA has been promi-
nently involved in the recommendation and
selection of candidates for the federal judiciary,
the accreditation of law schools, and the refine-
ment of rules of legal and judicial ethics.
Applicants for membership in the ABA must
meet certain criteria. They must be members in
good standing of the bar of a state, territory, or
possession of the United States. They must also
have good moral character and pay the desig-
nated dues. Law students qualify to be members
of the Law Student Division of the ABA if they
attend an ABA-approved law school and pay the
specified dues.
The ABA continues to put great emphasis on
promoting diversity within its membership and
has initiated several programs designed to bring
more women and racial and ethnic minorities
into the profession.
The ABA provides various forums through
which attorneys continue their legal education
during their careers. Its national institutes are
held frequently in areas of law that have become
topical or have undergone sweeping reform. In
conjunction with the ALI, the ABA holds semi-
nars in order to continue the professional edu-
cation of interested members.
Within the ABA, members may participate
in the activities of numerous sections, which
range in size from about 3,600 members to more
than 60,000 and are organized according to spe-
cialized areas of law. Various committees exist
that deal with such topics as judicial selection,
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY and discipline,
lawyer referral services, and the UNAUTHORIZED
PRACTICE of law. Other committees are con-
cerned with topical areas, such as prepaid legal
services, MALPRACTICE, legal problems of the
elderly, and public-interest law.
The ABA is involved in the political process
through its seven-person Governmental Affairs
Office (GAO), a LOBBYING effort that serves as
the “eyes, ears and voice” of the organized bar at
the seat of the national government in Washing-
ton, D.C. The GAO staff is housed with about
170 other ABA staffers in the ABA’s District of
Columbia office. (The ABA’s main offices are in
Chicago, with more than 500 staff members.)
The lobbying group in Washington, D.C.,
headed by the ABA’s associate executive director,
testifies on Capitol Hill more often than any
other trade association. The ABA’s lobbyists
offer detailed information and analysis on vari-
ous technical issues, such as tax or antitrust leg-
islation. Moreover, on issues such as ABORTION,
which many ABA members and leaders consider
as having an effect on the legal system, the ABA
offers its voice along with those of other inter-
ested groups.
Equal access for all to the justice system has
become an increasingly important theme in the
ABA’s mission. The association has sought for a
number of years to increase and improve free
legal services to needy persons by practicing
lawyers. These lawyers donate some of their
work pro bono publico (“for the good of the
public”). In 1981, the ABA created the Private
Bar Involvement Project, now called the Pro
Bono Project, which acts as a national clearing-
house of information and resources for various
pro bono programs around the United States.
When it began, there were 66 organized proj-
ects nationwide; by 1995, there were more than
950.
The ABA actively supports several major leg-
islative priorities on topics that have been in the
forefront of American political and governmen-
tal affairs. The ABA has called for a MORATO-
RIUM on the death penalty until certain
procedures and policies are put into effect that
mandate fair and impartial administration of
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. Since the SEPTEMBER
11TH ATTACKS in 2001, the ABA has stepped up
its opposition to laws requiring extra verifica-
tion of citizenship for immigrants. Additionally,
the ABA has urged that U.S. citizens and legal
residents detained as “enemy combatants” be
afforded DUE PROCESS rights and that military
tribunals authorized to conduct trials of sus-
pected terrorists be used in limited circum-
stances. Finally, the ABA has announced its
opposition to the incommunicado detention of
nationals held in undisclosed locations by immigration officials or the HOMELAND SECURITY
DEPARTMENT.
The ABA holds annual conventions and
midyear meetings to discuss designated legal
topics and ABA matters. It publishes the
monthly American Bar Association Journal, an
annual directory, and various journals and
newsletters reporting the work of its sections
and committees. The ABA also supports the
activities of affiliated organizations—such as the
American Bar Foundation, which sponsors
research activities in law.
The ABA also provides a social outlet for its
members through which members meet to
freely exchange ideas and experiences that add
to the human dimension in the practice of law.
The ABA has eleven goals:
1. Promote improvement in the U.S. system of
justice;
2. Promote meaningful access to LEGAL REPRESENTATION
and the U.S. system of justice for
all persons regardless of their economic or
social condition;
3. Provide ongoing leadership in improving
the law to serve the changing needs of society;
4. Increase public understanding of and
respect for the law, the legal process, and the
role of the legal profession;
5. Achieve the highest standards of professionalism,
competence, and ethical conduct;
6. Serve as the national representative of the
legal profession;
7. Provide benefits, programs, and services that
promote professional growth and enhance
the quality of life of the members;
8. Advance the RULE OF LAW in the world;
9. Promote full and equal participation in the
legal profession by members of minorities
and women;
10. Preserve and enhance the ideals of the legal
profession as a common calling and its dedication
to public service;
11. Preserve the independence of the legal profession
and the judiciary as fundamental to a
free society.
FURTHER READINGS
American Bar Association Website. Available online at
(accessed May 29, 2003).
American Bar Foundation Oral History Program. Available
online at
(accessed May 30, 2003).
Hobson, Wayne K. 1986. The American Legal Profession and
the Organizational Society, 1890–1930. New York: Garland.
