The Value of State and Local Bar Associations
The Bencher—March/April
By Meade W. Mitchell, Esquire
As president of the Mississippi Bar Association and past president of two local bars, I have witnessed what state and local bar associations give back to our profession. They are the heartbeats of the bar.
The law is a noble profession, and I am thankful I have been given opportunities to champion state and local bars. Bar associations highlight the best attributes of our profession, and their goal is to promote the highest respect for lawyers and our legal system. I was told long ago, and after years of experience, ardently believe, that bar service would give me more than I could ever give it. My volunteer work for state and local bars has been extremely rewarding and personally fulfilling.
State bar associations provide great value by upholding the integrity of the legal profession, regulating attorney conduct, managing continuing legal education, administering bar exams in certain states, offering training to new lawyers, maintaining ethical standards, and, importantly, facilitating statewide networking. State bar associations connect the lawyers of a state through committees, sections, programs, and conventions. They provide quality continuing legal education (CLE), books, newsletters, and magazines.
Most state bars, like Mississippi, have committees that address issues such as ethics, access to justice, bench and bar relations, diversity, law practice management, technology, assistance to lawyers in need, professionalism, public information, professional responsibility, and more. These committees provide invaluable advice and guidance to the lawyers in their state. Most state bars also have sections addressing substantive areas of practice, such as litigation, family law, property law, taxation, criminal law, workers’ compensation, business law, estates, labor and employment, appellate practice, sports law, and more. These sections generate substantive content and programming consistently to their membership.
Furthermore, state bars have robust young lawyer groups and provide free provision of legal research aids. Some offer speaker banks for civic groups to draw upon, and many offer advanced lawyer and mediator directories. A wonderful program in Mississippi is the statewide moot court competition for high school students. Lawyers from throughout the state volunteer for the program, and it is a wonderful way to showcase the profession.
In cooperation with the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Disaster Response and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state bars also coordinate pro bono disaster legal relief services. The nationwide program is invaluable for victims of floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and other disasters. Mississippi, through the state bar, provides those of limited means high-quality pro bono legal assistance. State bars also lobby for bills benefiting our profession and periodically meet with congressional representatives to discuss other needs. State bars connect, educate, and serve the legal community of the entire state.
The local bar associations are equally important. They are a wonderful ground for attorneys to forge professional relationships and connections. They provide the optimal chance for networking, as most offer regular luncheons, mixers, and forums for attorneys to interact. They are great places for mentorship—a spot where seasoned lawyers often guide and support newer members, sharing advice, experiences, and a helping hand. They also offer opportunities to obtain CLE, serve the community on projects, and assist with statewide projects. Participation also offers lawyers the chance to simply become known in the legal community. Lawyers of any practice can meet and get to know one another. In fact, the camaraderie of lawyers at the local level is a key driver of civility and professionalism in any legal community.
As president of the Mississippi Bar, one of my objectives is to assist local bar associations in the state. We are meeting with the presidents of the local bars to allow each to share their success stories and ideas. We plan to package these ideas into a pamphlet to give each local bar a road map for greater success in the years to come. We are also conducting in-person events throughout the state to bring all the local bars together and help grow their memberships. The more connected lawyers are with one another, the greater the promotion of the concepts of civility and professionalism. That increased strength and connection in the local bars equals increased strength and connection of the state bar.
While Mississippi has many local bar organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected most groups. Some local bars had limited meetings for a substantial period, and returning to normal is still ongoing. I suspect that is the case throughout the United States. However, that can change. The easiest way is to promote involvement. Involvement is easy—just show up. I encourage each of you to involve yourself in your local bar—go to the meetings and volunteer for the projects. I look forward to attending local bar meetings, catching up with legal colleagues I otherwise never see, talking with local judges, and hearing what is going on in the local bar—information you hear nowhere else. Such personal interactions are invaluable. I also encourage those within the leadership of law firms to actively promote bar involvement of younger lawyers. The firm benefits, the lawyer benefits, and society benefits.
This is a challenging time in America. It is difficult to remember greater divides in our country. State and local bar associations, however, bring us together. We must continue to strive to band together and work as a team for our profession and the public. With all of us working together and participating in state and local bars, we have and will continue to make a difference.
Meade W. Mitchell, Esquire, is president of the Mississippi Bar Association and the past president of the Jackson Young Lawyers and the Capital Area Bar Association. He is a Bencher in the Charles Clark American Inn of Court and a litigation partner at Butler Snow LLP in Jackson, Mississippi.