The American Bar Association (ABA) is the world’s largest organization of lawyers.  It’s nearly 400,000 members come from all practice areas and settings and include lawyers, government attorneys, judges, law school faculty, and law students.  Since its founding in 1878 the ABA has been committed to the improvement of justice, professional development, the rule of law, and service to the public.

Toward these purposes the ABA takes on important national roles. This includes advocacy before Congress and the Executive Branch on behalf of lawyers based on official ABA policies that are approved by a national representational body of lawyers.  Advocacy covers an array of issues such as reform of criminal justice, equal access to legal services, adequate funding for the courts, and many areas of public interest.  The ABA is also the nation’s leading provider of continuing legal education programming and one of the country’s largest legal publishers, with over 150 new works published annually.  Many of these programs and books are conducted and published  by  ABA sections and committees, which represent dozens of substantive areas of law and provide networking opportunities for ABA members.

An important and unique function of the ABA is to ensure that the practice of law and competencies of lawyers in the United States is not unduly influenced by the law school one attends, the state one practices in, or the court you appear before.    While the practice of law in the US is regulated at the state level, as a national organization the ABA addresses some of these concerns by drafting legal and judicial rules of ethics for consideration by all states, accrediting  U.S. law schools, and  evaluating all nominees to federal courts, including the US Supreme Court.

Over the last 20 years the ABA has expanded its international outreach.  Lawyers not licensed in the United States may join the association.   ABA sections are convening more meetings overseas, and their educational and training opportunities   address the growing globalization of business interests and legal practices.  Through its Rule of Law Initiative, the ABA is also working with in-country partners in over 50 countries to help build sustainable institutions that deliver justice, foster economic opportunity and ensure respect for human dignity.

The breadth and depth of the ABA is enormous, and we encourage you to visit us at www.AmericanBar.org to learn more.