Illinois State Bar Association
Logo of the Illinois State Bar Association
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| Type | Legal Society |
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| Headquarters | Springfield, IL |
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Membership
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30,000 |
| Website | http://www.isba.org |
The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is the largest voluntary state bar association in the country. Approximately 30,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISBA membership is not required of lawyers licensed to practice in Illinois, and ISBA membership is totally voluntary. The ISBA is headquartered in Springfield, Illinois. It also has an office in Chicago, Illinois.
The ISBA was founded on January 4, 1877 at a meeting held in the Sangamon County Courthouse in Springfield, Illinois attended by 88 lawyers from 37 counties. According to the association's constitution adopted at that time, the purpose of the association is:
[T]o cultivate the science of jurisprudence, to promote reform in the law, to facilitate the administration of justice, to elevate the standard of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession, to encourage a thorough and liberal education, and to cherish a spirit of brotherhood among the members thereof.
This first meeting elected Anthony Thornton as first president of the ISBA.
In 1879, the ISBA gained notoriety after it granted honorary membership to Myra Bradwell and Ada Kepley after they were denied admission to the bar on the grounds that they were women.
Responding to a request from the Supreme Court of Illinois on how to improve the quality of Illinois lawyers, in 1897 the ISBA and the Chicago Bar Association recommended that the court require lawyers to have at least a high school education; they also recommended creating what would become the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar. The Illinois Supreme Court accepted both recommendations.
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