On March 9, 1916 a local Bar was organized by 13 attorneys and Judge George H. Buck, the sole Superior Judge of San Mateo County at the time.  The first meeting of 1916 was held at the local Law Library located in the County Courthouse, where the membership of each person was established.  The Honorable George H. Buck was elected president of the San Mateo County Bar Association and held office until 1918.  The San Mateo County Bar Association was incorporated fifty years after its formation on December 13, 1966.

Today, the San Mateo County Bar Association is over 90 years old.  It is a voluntary membership association with approximately 1,200 attorneys.

The mission of the San Mateo County Bar Association is to promote the honor and dignity of the legal profession, to educate its members, to foster the highest professional standards, to encourage collegiality and to maintain cooperation between its members and the judiciary, to furnish excellent indigent criminal defense, to assist the public in accessing legal services, to provide and recognize public service as it relates to this mission, and to advance the fair and effective administration of justice for all.