William Pelham Barr

The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. NYSBA was founded in 1877 with the stated goal to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; to promote reform in the law; to facilitate the administration of justice, and to elevate the standards of integrity, honor, professional skill, and courtesy in the legal profession. Its first President was David B. Hill. Among the reforms in the legislation signed into law creating the association was the removal of the restrictions on the admission of women to the practice of law. In 1896, NYSBA proposed the first global means for settling disputes among nations, what is now called the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

The New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New Jersey. In June 1899, 74 attorneys launched NJSBA in Atlantic City; annual dues were $5.00.[2] Within the next decade, the Canon of Ethics was adopted by the NJSBA and the Committee on Law Reform, aimed at improving the practice of law and administration of justice in NJ, was formed. Over the years, NJSBA supported the establishment of a Judicial Council to study the problem of an increase in court cases, the replacement of the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals with a Supreme Court, and the repeal of Prohibition. In 1945, NJSBA developed refresher courses for attorneys returning from service in World War II, the forerunner of today's practice of Continuing Legal Education. In the 1980s, paralegals, law office administrators and other non-lawyers were welcomed into NJSBA as associate members. NJSBA supports 37 practice-oriented sections to support a diverse spectrum of law practice. NJSBA is the publisher of New Jersey Lawyer Magazine. It shares New Jersey Law Center with the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, the Institute for Continuing Legal Education, the IOLTA Fund of the Bar of New Jersey, the New Jersey Lawyers Assistance Program and the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism.

The District of Columbia Bar is the second largest unified bar association in the United States. The D.C. Bar’s core functions, supported by member dues, are the registration of lawyers, operation of a lawyer disciplinary system, maintenance of a Clients’ Security Fund, and certain other administrative operations. Many of the important educational and public service programs carried out by the Bar are made possible by voluntary contributions, user fees, and other nondues sources of income. The Bar is governed by a Board of Governors composed of 20 lawyers selected by the active membership and three members of the public appointed by the Bar itself as nonvoting members.