The Missouri Bar is the statewide organization to which all Missouri attorneys must belong. Currently, about 28,000 lawyers are members of The Missouri Bar.

Created in 1944 by order of the Supreme Court of Missouri, The Missouri Bar is an instrumentality of the state, not a private association. Its mission is to improve the legal profession, the administration of justice and the law on behalf of the public.

All policies and programs of The Missouri Bar are either developed or overseen by the bar’s Board of Governors, a 42-member group of elected lawyers who represent the members in their districts.

Lawyers participate in the bar in a variety of ways. They may seek to serve as members of the Board of Governors or the Young Lawyers’ Section Council; take part in the more than 50 substantive law committees; volunteer for service projects; choose to attend any of the hundreds of Continuing Legal Education programs produced by the bar each year; attend events, such as the Annual Meeting or Solo and Small Firm Conference; or volunteer to write articles for bar publications.

Services 

The Missouri Bar provides a variety of services and materials not only to its members, but also to the news media and the citizens of Missouri. These include:

• The Missouri Bar's Mentoring Program.
• An online database of Informal Advisory Opinions from the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel.
• Continuing legal education publications designed to help Missouri lawyers maintain their skills;
• Administration of a minimum continuing legal education requirement established by the Supreme Court of Missouri to ensure the continued professional competence of Missouri lawyers;
• A series of regular publications providing substantive, practical information of value to lawyers;
• An active legislative program that monitors and works for passage of legislation before the Missouri General Assembly that affects the administration of justice, the integrity of the judiciary, or the dignity of the profession of law;
• A fee dispute resolution program, which uses mediation and arbitration to resolve fee disputes between lawyers and their clients in a quick, low-cost manner;
• A lawyers' assistance program that offers free counseling to lawyers impaired by substance abuse problems or personal problems;
• MoBar Net, a computer network allowing on-line access to a number of state databases as well as various Missouri Bar services;
• A wide range of endorsed insurance programs and other benefits for members of the bar;
• A lawyer placement service that links third-year law students and other lawyers seeking employment with law firms and other employers with openings.

Serving the Public, the Media, and Educators

• A longstanding program of citizenship education publications, resources and services to help educators more effectively teach their students about the law, the legal system and the courts;
• News releases, publications, background reports, meetings and resources to help members of the print and broadcast media cover legal issues;
• Nearly 40 public information brochures covering basic legal issues and other consumer-oriented publications distributed to thousands of citizens throughout the state; and
• A lawyer referral service which links Missourians in need of legal assistance with a lawyer in their area.