Bar Associations: Policies and Performances

Abstract

Bar associations are an integral part of the legal profession and, along with law firms, courts, legislatures, and law schools, essential features of the modem American legal system. Despite their prominent place in the legal field, however, bar associations have received surprisingly meager scholarly attention. This Article seeks to help remedy this oversight by examining the contribution of bar associations to the legal system at large. In particular, it identifies the principal policies pursued by the associations and evaluates how effectively they further these policies. In addition, the Article addresses some of the bar associations' major limitations and makes recommendations for their improvement.