Bar Association
A bar association provides certification that an individual is qualified to serve as legal representation.
Contents
Description
Bar associations first emerged as voluntary groups. Over time, these were converted to corporations.
Several states require that attorneys be members of their corresponding bar association before practicing law. These are called unified bars. Not all states do, however. Notably, membership in the Wisconsin Bar Association is mandated by order of the state's supreme court, not legislation.
All regulation of legal qualifications is done at the state level; there is no national or federal requirement. Furthermore, there is no requirement that federal judges be a member of a bar association. Therefore the American Bar Association is still a purely voluntary group.