Founded in 1874, The Chicago Bar Association is one of the oldest and most active metropolitan bar associations in the United States. The Association's voluntary membership of 22,000 consists largely of lawyers and judges from Cook County and the State of Illinois. However, we do have a growing out-of-state membership of lawyers who want to take advantage of the Association's many membership services and benefits.

The purposes and objectives of the Association are:

• To establish and maintain the honor and dignity of the profession of the law and to promote the general welfare of the members thereof, particularly by sponsoring and supporting continuing legal education programs covering new developments in all fields of law.
• To cultivate social relationships among its members.
• To increase the usefulness of the legal profession in promoting the due administration of justice and the public good.