Philadelphia Bar Association

The Philadelphia Bar Association, founded in 1802, is the oldest association of lawyers in the United States. It is a keystone in the ongoing developments of the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania legal systems. Attorneys, judges, and politicians alike look to the Philadelphia Bar Association for guidance on controversial legal issues; and for an organized meeting ground for professional support and information sharing. The Bar Association is home to more than 100 sections and committees through which members organize to stay abreast of developments in substantive areas of law and meet the specific needs of the Association.

Non-lawyers of the Philadelphia community count on, and look to, the Philadelphia Bar Association for general information on how to address their legal issues and where they can go to find additional information and help. The Philadelphia Bar Association’s popular Lawyer Referral and Information Service connects members of the public with attorneys at no cost and affords the public thirty-minute consultations with attorneys on qualifying legal issues at a drastically reduced cost. The Bar Association also shares legal-related information with the public through its website including specifics on jury duty, information on fee disputes and a speaker’s bureau.

With more than 200 years of dedicated service to stand on, the Philadelphia Bar Association is firmly rooted in the Philadelphia community as a steady and reliable bellwether. 

Mission
The Mission of the Philadelphia Bar Association is to serve the profession and the public by promoting justice, professional excellence and respect for the rule of law. In so doing, the Association strives to foster understanding of, involvement in and access to the justice system.

Leadership
An elected volunteer Chancellor leads the Philadelphia Bar Association every year and works with the Board of Governors who have general charge of Association business. The Bar Association’s Executive Director and professional staff assist the Chancellor throughout his/her year.

Many legal luminaries are among the past Chancellors of the Bar Association.

Publications
Philadelphia Bar Association publications inform members about issues that matter to Philadelphia-area lawyers:

• The Philadelphia Lawyer is the Association's quarterly magazine devoted to the law, lifestyles and other topics of interest to Philadelphia lawyers.
• Philadelphia Bar Reporter is the Association's monthly newspaper. It focuses on Association activities, member participation and services.
• The Legal Directory lists the attorneys and firms in the five-county Philadelphia area. It also provides information about government, judiciaries, departments and agencies at the federal, state and local levels.
• Bar Reporter Online is the Association's bi-weekly e-newsbrief. E-mailed to Association members every Monday and Thursday mornings, it provides news and updates on Association activities, as well as the activities of legal services organizations funded by the Philadelphia Bar Foundation, between regular issues of Philadelphia Bar Reporter newspaper.
• Upon Further Review is a new web publication that links lawyers to local legal news and analysis.
• YLD EZine is the Young Lawyers Division weekly e-newsbrief. It is e-mailed to YLD members every Tuesday morning and includes upcoming events, educational and service opportunities.

The Philadelphia Bar Association's Professional Guidance Committee also provides, upon request, advice for lawyers facing or anticipating facing ethical dilemmas. These opinions, which are published for the benefit of Bar Association members, are advisory only and are based upon the specific facts provided in inquiries.

Podcasts and Photographs
Many Bar Association programs are recorded via podcast and photograph for the benefit of those who could not attend and the general public.

Social Media Initiatives
The Philadelphia Bar Association maintains a presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in order to better service Association members and the general public.

The Philadelphia Bar Foundation
The Philadelphia Bar Foundation is the Bar Association’s charitable arm and the voice of legal services and the legal community's philanthropy in Philadelphia. A highly skilled network of public interest non-profits is supported through the Bar Foundation’s work.