Joining Bar Associations as a student member can provide access to enhance professional pathways:

  • section membership allows for learning about practice specialties and indicating demonstrated practice interest;
  • pro bono involvement develops contacts and legal practice skills;
  • social activities provide opportunities to develop a community for future law practice (and current advice).

Even Bar Associations without formal student memberships often allow or welcome students at various events or activities.  Contact the Bar Association for information, or check with a member to see if you can participate as their guest.

Here is an alphabetized list, by state, with city Bar organizations contained within each state category, to help you get started with your network and credential building.

 
NATIONAL
 
The American Bar Association (ABA) provides free student memberships to law students.  Students are able to join a number of the ABA's practice specialty sections as a part of their complimentary members, providing an excellent information source and connection building opportunity.
 

STATE AND LOCAL BAR ASSOCIATIONS

Alabama

Alabama State Bar: http://www.alabar.org/admissions/law-student-registration.cfm

Local Bar Associations:

Alaska

Alaska Bar Association: http://www.alaskabar.org/

Local Bar Associations:

Arizona

State Bar of Arizona: http://www.azbar.org/

Local Bar Associations:

Arkansas

Arkansas Bar Association: https://www.arkbar.com/Member/Register.aspx; (under Membership Type, click on Student)

Local Bar Associations:

California

State Bar of California: http://www.calbar.ca.gov/

Local Bar Associations:

 

Colorado

Colorado Bar Association: http://www.cobar.org/studentapp.cfm

Local Bar Associations:

Connecticut

Connecticut State Bar Association: https://www.ctbar.org/Information%20For/Students.aspx

Local Bar Associations:

Delaware

Delaware State Bar Association: http://www.dsba.org/index.php/about-the-dsba/membership.html

Florida

Florida Bar: http://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/PI/CertSect.nsf/03fa6406a4b8760185256fd4005e5cec/e4ee78271545822485256fd4005c206c?OpenDocument (scroll to the bottom of the page for student membership)

Local Bar Associations:

Georgia

Georgia State Bar: http://www.gabar.org/membership/howtojoin/student-enrollment.cfm

Local Bar Associations:

Statewide Bar Associations:

Hawaii

Hawaii State Bar Association: http://www.hsba.org/forms_2.aspx

Idaho

Idaho State Bar: http://isb.idaho.gov/index.html

Local Bar Associations:

Illinois

Illinois State Bar Association: https://www.isba.org/user/register/lawstudents

Local Bar Associations:

Indiana

Indiana State Bar Association: https://www.inbar.org/Membership/Nonmembers/HowtoJoin/LawStudentApplication/tabid/90/Default.aspx

Local Bar Associations:

Iowa

Iowa State Bar Association: https://m360.iowabar.org/frontend/portal/SignupOptions.aspx

Local Bar Associations:

Kansas

Kansas Bar Association: http://www.ksbar.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=27

Local Bar Associations:

Kentucky

Kentucky Bar Association: http://www.kybar.org/

Local Bar Associations:

Louisiana

Louisiana Bar Association: http://www.lsba.org/2007yls/LawStudentDivision.asp

Local Bar Associations:

Maine

Maine Bar Association: http://www.mainebar.org/join_dues.asp

Maryland

Maryland State Bar Association: http://www.msba.org/departments/membership/join.asp

Local Bar Associations:

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Bar Association: http://www.massbar.org/membership/dues-structure-and-rates

Local Bar Associations:

Michigan
State Bar of Michigan: http://www.michbar.org/lawstudent/pdfs/LSS.pdf

Local Bar Associations:

Minnesota

Minnesota State Bar: https://practicelaw.org/msbaMemberApp/home.php

Local Bar Associations:

Mississippi

Mississippi Bar: http://www.msbar.org/

Local Bar Associations:

Missouri

Missouri Bar: http://www.mobar.org/

Local Bar Associations:

Montana

State Bar of Montana: http://www.montanabar.org/

Nebraska

Nebraska State Bar Association: http://www.nebar.com/

Local Bar Associations:

Nevada

State Bar of Nevada: http://www.nvbar.org/

Local Bar Associations:

New Hampshire

New Hampshire Bar Association: http://www.nhbar.org/

Local Bar Associations:

New Jersey

New Jersey State Bar Association: http://www.njsba.com/become-a-member/index.html

Local Bar Associations:

New Mexico

State Bar of New Mexico: http://www.nmbar.org/Attorneys/dues/membership.html (scroll down)

Local Bar Associations:

 

New York

New York State Bar Association: http://www.nysba.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Membership&template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=69279

Local Bar Associations:

North Carolina

North Carolina Bar Association: http://www.ncbar.org/membership/membership-types, application: http://www.ncbar.org/membership/membership-applications

Local Bar Associations:

North Dakota

State Bar Association of North Dakota: http://www.sband.org/

Ohio

Ohio State Bar Association: https://www.ohiobar.org/Membership/Join/Pages/StaticPage-272.aspx

Local Bar Associations:

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Bar Association: http://www.okbar.org/members/lawstudent/

Local Bar Associations:

Oregon

Oregon State Bar: http://www.osbar.org/

Local Bar Associations:

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Bar Association: http://www.pabar.org/public/Membership/dues.asp

Local Bar Associations:

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Bar Association: https://www.ribar.com/Login/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fMembers%2fDefault.aspx, application: https://www.ribar.com/UserFiles/File/CMSUploadFiles/dues%20structure%20for%20website%202011.pdf

South Carolina

South Carolina Bar: http://www.scbar.org/

Local Bar Associations:

South Dakota

State Bar of South Dakota: http://www.sdbar.org/

Tennessee

Tennessee Bar Association: http://www.tba.org/law-student-membership

Local Bar Associations:

Texas

State Bar of Texas: http://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Law_Student_Info&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=19605

Local Bar Associations:

Utah

Utah State Bar: http://www.utahbar.org/

Local Bar Associations:

Vermont

Vermont Bar Association: https://www.vtbar.org/FOR%20ATTORNEYS/Join%20the%20VBA/Membership%20Dues%20Structure.aspx

Virginia

Virginia Bar Association: http://vba.affiniscape.com/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=35

Local Bar Associations:

Washington

Washington State Bar Association: http://www.wsba.org/Law-Students

Local Bar Associations:

West Virginia

West Virginia Bar Association: http://www.wvbarassociation.org/lsd.asp

Local Bar Association:

Wisconsin

State Bar of Wisconsin: http://images.wisbar.org/Template.cfm?Section=Law_Students1&Template=/CustomSource/LawStudents/Index.cfm&area=3

Local Bar Associations:

Wyoming

Wyoming State Bar: http://wyomingbar.org/

Washington, D.C.

The District of Columbia Bar: http://www.dcbar.org/