# American Bar Association

> The American Bar Association is a Chicago-based nonprofit membership organization that serves legal professionals while shaping the infrastructure around them. It sells memberships, continuing legal education, conferences, books and specialist communities; accredits 198 J.D.-granting institutions and programs through its independent legal-education council; develops model ethics rules; publishes legal journalism and practice guidance; advocates on justice-system issues; and operates pro bono and international rule-of-law programs. Its advantage is not one product but a network of standards, expertise, convening power and public-service machinery assembled since 1878.

- **Founded:** 1878
- **Headquarters:** Chicago, United States
- **Founders:** Simeon E. Baldwin (Principal founder), James O. Broadhead (Founding president)
- **Team size:** Approximately 4,400 employees in supplied company data; ABA ROLI separately reports more than 500 professional staff in the U.S. and abroad.
- **Products:** ABA Membership, Continuing Legal Education, Member Groups and Communities, ABA Publishing and ABA Journal, Law School Accreditation
- **Notable:** Formed in 1878 when 75 lawyers from 20 states and the District of Columbia met in Saratoga Springs, New York., Adopted the first national lawyer ethics standards, the Canons of Professional Ethics, in 1908., Established national standards for legal education in 1921 and began law-school accreditation in 1952.

## Products & services

- **ABA Membership** — Tiered annual memberships for lawyers, students, judges, public-interest professionals, paralegals and others, bundling education, content, networking, career tools and discounts.
- **Continuing Legal Education** — Live, on-demand and accredited training, including a member-benefit library of more than 500 programs covering practice areas, ethics and specialty credits.
- **Member Groups and Communities** — More than 35 sections, divisions and forums organized around practice areas, career stages and shared professional interests.
- **ABA Publishing and ABA Journal** — Books, periodicals, newsletters, practice guidance and legal journalism produced with practitioners and subject-matter experts.
- **Law School Accreditation** — The Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar grants provisional and full approval and currently lists 198 J.D.-granting institutions and programs.
- **Model Rules and Ethics Opinions** — National model standards and interpretive guidance for professional conduct, judicial conduct and legal practice.
- **ABA Free Legal Answers** — A virtual civil legal advice clinic matching income-eligible users with volunteer attorneys in participating jurisdictions.
- **Rule of Law Initiative** — Programs that strengthen justice institutions, legal professionals and access to rights in more than 50 countries.
- **Career Center** — A legal job board, career webinars, articles, podcasts and professional-development resources.
- **Conferences and Events** — National annual and midyear conferences plus specialist meetings, webinars and networking events.

## Achievements

- Formed in 1878 when 75 lawyers from 20 states and the District of Columbia met in Saratoga Springs, New York.
- Adopted the first national lawyer ethics standards, the Canons of Professional Ethics, in 1908.
- Established national standards for legal education in 1921 and began law-school accreditation in 1952.
- Helped establish the Association of American Law Schools in 1900 and the Legal Services Corporation in 1974.
- Played a major role in drafting and securing ratification of the 25th Amendment.
- Created the Model Rules of Professional Conduct in 1983; versions have been adopted in 50 jurisdictions.
- Built the Rule of Law Initiative into a staff of more than 500 working in over 50 countries.
- ABA Free Legal Answers surpassed 500,000 answered questions in June 2026, supported by more than 17,700 registered volunteer attorneys.
- Its legal-education council currently approves 198 institutions and programs granting the J.D.
- Maintains a member CLE library with more than 500 widely accredited programs.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Cincinnati lawyer Barbara J. Howard became president of the American Bar Association.
- **2026-07** — The ABA published fresh ethics guidance on government lawyers' obligations when they know a public official has violated the law.
- **2026-06** — ABA Free Legal Answers passed 500,000 questions handled since its 2016 launch.
- **2026-02** — The House of Delegates adopted nearly 30 policy measures, including positions on judicial safety, Justice Department independence, immigration enforcement and public-service loan forgiveness.
- **2025-12** — The ABA Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence released its second-year final report on AI, legal practice, courts, education, access to justice and risk management.
- **2025-06** — The ABA filed federal litigation challenging the termination of congressionally funded grants and a federal policy targeting law firms.

## Links

- Website: https://www.americanbar.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-bar-association/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/abaesq
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AmericanBarAssn
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/americanbar.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americanbarassociation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBarAssociation/

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Last updated: 2026-08-13