Founded in 1910, the Massachusetts Bar Association is a non-profit organization that serves the legal profession and the public by promoting the administration of justice, legal education, professional excellence and respect for the law. The MBA represents a diverse group of attorneys, judges and legal professionals across the commonwealth.

MBA Leadership 

Each association year (Sept. 1 - Aug. 31), a new House of Delegates governs the business of the MBA. MBA Officers include the president, president-elect, two vice presidents, treasurer and secretary and each fulfills a one-year term. The president is responsible for selecting the association's executive board and section leadership. Fifteen newly appointed Section Council chairs select a group of 10-15 legal professionals to serve on their respective councils. The section councils are responsible for much of the association's activity throughout the year under the leadership of officers. Officers and section chairs, along with the two immediate past presidents, regional delegates, at-large delegates and representatives of MBA's affiliated bar associations, the Massachusetts Bar Foundation and the Massachusetts ABA delegate, comprise the House of Delegates. 

Initiatives

As a way to tackle important issues affecting a significant number of MBA members and those in the legal community as a whole, the MBA designates committees, establishes task forces and joins forces with like-minded groups to create positive change for the legal profession.  The key initiatives for the 2009-10 association year under the leadership of President Valerie A. Yarashus are:

Preserving Access to Justice - The MBA takes the lead in advocating for adequate court and legal services funding.

Serving Our Veterans in the Law - The Massachusetts Bar Association with financial support from the Massachusetts Bar Foundation is offering a pro bono program for veterans struggling with state and federal benefit appeals.

The MBA Lawyers Eco-Challenge - The MBA has teamed up with the Conservation Law Foundation, New England's leading legal and environmental advocacy organization, to encourage lawyers to reduce energy and resource consumption. More than a dozen lawyers on the MBA's newly formed Energy and Environmental Task Force created Green Guidelines for the office and a pledge to help attorneys make their practices more Earth-friendly. The Task Force is now working on Green Guidelines for the home.