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.

History
Created by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in 1972, the precipitating force for the Bar’s creation was the legal community’s desire to have a single organization that could uphold the ethical standards and Rules of Professional Conduct.

Who We Are