Legal Resources What is "The Bar?" State Bar Association List for All US States

The following article will explain what a state bar association is and how to contact the bar association in your state. Bar associations are usually a good place to find general information about how the court system operates in your state and local community.

What is a bar association?

A bar association is a professional organization of lawyers whose actual function varies from state to state. In some states it is a mandatory organization which also handles attorney licensing and in others it is a voluntary organization and licensing is managed elsewhere. The Texas State Bar is a mandatory bar association of which all Texas lawyers must be members. It is a government agency under the administration of the Supreme Court of Texas. In New York State, the New York State Bar Association is a voluntary organization of attorneys. Attorney licensing in New York is handled by the Office of Court Administration. County bar associations are smaller voluntary bar associations whose membership is usually comprised of attorneys who practice locally in the courts of the county. Regardless of its actual function, most state bar associations are usually valuable places to find information about the legal system and the regulation of professional conduct.

Where does the term "the bar" come from?

The term "bar" originates from the courts of England. A railway in the court hallway separated law students from barristers and practitioners of law. A student who became a barrister or lawyer crossed "the bar" to the other side.

List of State Bar Associations

The following represents the current contact information and website for the bar association located in each state in the United States.

Alabama State Bar Association

415 Dexter Avenue
Montgomery, Alabama 36104
Tel (334) 269-1515
Fax (334) 261-6310
Tel (800) 354-6154

Arizona State Bar Association

4201 N. 24th Street, Suite 200
Phoenix, AZ 85016-6288
Phone: 602-252-4804
Toll Free: 866-48-AZBAR
Fax: 602-271-4930

Arkansas State Bar Association

Arkansas Bar Association
2224 Cottondale Lane
Little Rock, AR 72202
Phone: 501-375-4606
Phone: 800-609-5668
Fax: 501-375-4901

California State Bar Association

San Francisco (Main Office)
180 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-538-2000

Los Angeles
1149 South Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
213-765-1000

Sacramento
916-442-8018

Colorado State Bar Association

1900 Grant St, 9th Floor
Denver, CO 80203
Phone (303) 860-1115

Connecticut State Bar Association

30 Bank Street
PO Box 350
New Britain, CT 06050-0350
Phone: (860) 223-4400
Fax: (860) 223-4488

DC Bar Association

The District of Columbia Bar
1101 K Street NW, Suite 200
Washington DC 20005
202-737-4700

Delaware State Bar Association

301 North Market Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
Tel (302) 658-5279
Tel (800) 292-7869
Fax (302) 658-5212

Florida State Bar Association

The Florida Bar
651 E. Jefferson Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300
850-561-5600

Georgia State Bar Association

104 Marietta St. NW, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-527-8700
800-334-6865

Hawaii State Bar Association

Hawaii Access to Justice Commission, Associate Judge
Intermediate Court of Appeals
426 Queen Street, Room 201
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808)537-9140

Idaho State Bar Association

P.O. Box 895
Boise, Idaho 83701
Tel (208) 334-4500
Fax (208) 334-4515

Illinois State Bar Association

Chicago Regional Office
20 S. Clark St., Suite 900
Chicago, IL 60603-1802
312-726-8775
800-678-4009

Springfield Office
Illinois Bar Center
424 S. Second Street
Springfield, IL 62701-1779
217-525-1760
800-252-8908

Indiana State Bar Association

One Indiana Square, Suite 530
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone 317-639-5465
Fax 317-266-2588

Iowa State Bar Association

625 East Court Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-243-3179

Kansas State Bar Association

1200 SW Harrison
Topeka, KS 66612
(785) 234-5696

Kentucky State Bar Association

514 W. Main Street
Frankfort KY 40601-1812
(502) 564-3795

Louisiana State Bar Association

601 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70130
(800) 421-LSBA(5722)
(504) 566-1600

Maine State Bar Association

124 State Street
Augusta, ME 04330
T 207-622-7523
F 207-623-0083

Maryland State Bar Association

520 W. Fayette St
Baltimore, MD 21201
P (410) 685-7878
P (800) 492-1964
F (410) 685-1016

Massachusetts State Bar Association

MBA Boston office
20 West St.
Boston, MA 02111-1204
(617) 338-0500

MBA Western Mass. office
73 State St.
Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 731-5134

Michigan State Bar Association

State Bar of Michigan
Michael Franck Building
306 Townsend St.
Lansing, MI 48933-2012
Phone: (517) 346-6300
Toll Free: (800) 968-1442
Fax: (517) 482-6248

Minnesota State Bar Association

600 Nicollet Mall, #380
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 333-1183
(800) 882-6722

Mississippi State Bar Association

643 N. State Street
P.O. Box 2168
Jackson, MS 39225-2168
P (601) 948-4471
F (601) 355-8635

Missouri State Bar Association

The Missouri Bar
P.O. Box 119
326 Monroe
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0119
P (573) 635-4128
F (573) 635-2811

Montana State Bar Association

7 West 6th Avenue, Suite 2B
P.O. Box 577
Helena, MT 59624 (59601 street)
Phone: (406) 442-7660
Fax: (406) 442-7763

Nebraska State Bar Association

635 South 14th Street, Suite 200
P.O. Box 81809
Lincoln, Nebraska 68508
Phone: (402) 475-7091
Toll Free: (800) 927-0117
Fax: (402) 475-7098

Nevada State Bar Association

600 E. Charleston Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89104
702-382-2200

New Hampshire State Bar Association

2 Pillsbury Street, Suite 300
Concord NH 03301
P (603) 224-6942
F (603) 224-2910

New Jersey State Bar Association

The New Jersey Law Center
One Constitution Square
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1520
732-249-5000
732-249-2815 (fax)

New Mexico State Bar Association

Mailing Address
PO Box 92860
Albuquerque, NM 87199-2860

Street Address
5121 Masthead NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109

Phone: (505) 797-6000
Toll-Free: 1-800-876-6227
Fax: (505) 828-3765

New York State Bar Association

1 Elk Street
Albany, NY 12207
(518) 463-3200

North Carolina State Bar Association

208 Fayetteville Street
PO Box 25908
Raleigh, NC 27611-5908
919-828-4620

North Dakota State Bar Association

504 North Washington Street
Bismarck, ND 58501-3482
(701) 255-1404
(800)472-2685

Ohio State Bar Association

Headquarters
1700 Lake Shore Drive
Columbus OH, 43204
Phone: (800) 282-6556
Phone: (614) 487-2050
Fax: (614) 487-1008

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 16562
Columbus, Ohio 43216-6562

OSBA Member Service Center
(800) 232-7124 or
(614) 487-8585

Oklahoma State Bar Association

P.O. Box 53036
1901 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3036
Phone (405) 416-7000
Fax (405) 416-7001

Oregon State Bar Association

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 231935
Tigard, OR 97281-1935

Physical Address
16037 SW Upper Boones Ferry Rd
Tigard, OR 97224

Phone: (503) 620-0222
Phone: (800) 452-8260
Fax: (503) 684-1366

Pennsylvania State Bar Association

100 South Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
800-932-0311

Puerto Rico Courthouse

Federico Degetau Federal
Building, Room 150
150 Carlos Chardón Street
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918-1767
787-772-3000

Rhode Island State Bar Association

115 Cedar Street
Providence, RI 02903
Tel: 401-421-5740
Fax: 401-421-2703
TTY: 401-421-1666

South Carolina State Bar Association

South Carolina Bar
950 Taylor Street
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
P 803-799-6653
F 803-799-4118

South Dakota State Bar Association

State Bar of South Dakota
222 E Capitol Avenue #3
Pierre, SD 57501
P: 605-224-7554
F: 605-224-0282

Tennessee State Bar Association

221 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 400
Nashville, TN 37219-2198
Phone: (615) 383-7421
Fax: (615) 297-8058

Texas State Bar Association

Texas Law Center
1414 Colorado Street
Austin, Texas 78701

Main phone: 512.427.1463
Toll free: 800.204.2222
Main fax: 512.427.4100

Mailing Address
State Bar of Texas
P.O. Box 12487
Austin, Texas 78711

Utah State Bar Association

645 South 200 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: 801-531-9077
Fax: 801-531-0660

Vermont State Bar Association

PO Box 100
Montpelier, VT 05601-0100
P (802) 223-2020
F (802) 223-1573

Virginia State Bar Association

707 East Main Street, Suite 1500
Richmond, Virginia 23219-2800
Phone 804-775-0500
TDD 804-775-05027

Washington State Bar Association

1325 Fourth Ave., Ste. 600
Seattle, WA 98101-2539
Phone 800-945-WSBA (9722)
Phone 206-443-WSBA (9722)
Fax 206-727-8319

West Virginia State Bar Association

The West Virginia State Bar
2006 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25311-2204
Phone: 304-558-2456
Fax: 304-558-2467
Toll Free: 866-989-8227

Wisconsin State Bar Association

Street Address
State Bar of Wisconsin
5302 Eastpark Blvd.
Madison, WI 53718-2101

Mailing Address
State Bar of Wisconsin
P.O. Box 7158
Madison, WI 53707-7158

Phone (608) 257-3838
Phone (800) 728-7788 (nationwide)
Phone (800) 444-9404 (auto attendant)
Fax (608) 257-5502

Wyoming State Bar Association

4124 Laramie Street
PO Box 109
Cheyenne WY 82003
Phone 307-632-9061
Fax 307-632-3737