Board of Bar Commissioners: The Board of Bar Commissioners is comprised of 74 members.  A simple representational formula allows many diverse associations of lawyers within the state to be represented in this forum. The Executive Council is composed of the president, president-elect, vice president, secretary/executive director and three members-at-large chosen from the Board of Bar Commissioners. The immediate past-president is also a member of this body. All officers are elected to serve one-year terms.

The President: The president serves for one association year which begins at the close of the annual meeting (held each summer). The president is the official spokesperson in expressing the policies of the state bar as determined by the Board of Bar Commissioners. Unless otherwise provided, the president appoints the chairs and members of standing committees and task forces.

The President-Elect: The president-elect serves a term of one association year and performs duties as the president may assign, or the duties of the president, should the president become disabled and unable to perform the duties of office.

Sections, Committees, and Task Forces: The state bar’s current structure includes 31 specialized law sections, 16 standing committees and nine task forces. These groups publish material dealing with their field of expertise, much of which is not available through commercial publishers.  These units also sponsor continuing legal education (CLE) conferences or seminars, monitor legislation, conduct studies and may make policy recommendations to the Board of Bar Commissioners.

Sections: Range in size from approximately 20 members to more than 1,000 members.  Each section draws its membership from lawyers or judges with common professional interests.  They operate much like mini-bar associations with their own officers, dues schedule and committees. They address professional development, improvement of laws and continuing legal education in a variety of substantive law fields. Sections have sub-committees which tackle specialized single legal issues that may be part of the overall section jurisdiction.  Standing committees and task forces have smaller memberships and generally focus on specific assignments or narrower issues.

Offices: The Alabama State Bar is headquartered at 415 Dexter Avenue in Montgomery. The state bar headquarters building features various public recognitions of lawyers, judges and non-lawyers illustrating dedicated service to the profession, judicial excellence and the public service character of the legal profession. It is decorated with original works of art created by such prominent Alabama artists as Jake Waggoner, Barbara Gallagher, Russ Baxley, Roger Brown, and Nall, to cite a few examples.

No tax dollars are used to support bar activities. All practicing attorneys pay an annual license fee, which goes into a special trust fund. From this trust fund the legislature makes an appropriation for the use of the Alabama State Bar.

Staff: The board of bar commissioners appoints the executive director who supervises a professional and administrative staff. The staff implements decisions of the board in the administration of association affairs, assists members in carrying out their activities and expedites the dissemination of information.

Expenditures: The expenditure of funds by the Alabama State Bar Association (“ASB”) is limited as set forth in the enabling legislation sections §§34-3-1 through 88, Code of Alabama (1975); the ASB by-laws; and Keller v. State Bar of California, 496 U.S. 1 (1990). A member may object to the use of any portion of the member’s bar dues for activities he or she considers inconsistent with the foregoing constitutional standards. Member objections must be filed within 45 days of the date of the ASB’s publication of notice of the activity to which the member is objecting. Details on the objection, refund, and arbitration procedures are included here.

The Alabama State Bar (ASB) is the licensing and regulatory organization for lawyers in Alabama. ASB programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system. It is dedicated to promoting the professional responsibility and competence of its members, improving the administration of justice and increasing the public understanding of and respect for the law.

The values that guide the state bar are trust, integrity and service. The ASB protects the public by ensuring that lawyers who are granted licenses are not only minimally competent to practice law but also abide by the profession’s ethical standards. Second, the state bar is a member organization with responsibilities largely of a service nature including education, publications and improvement of the administration of justice. These activities benefit the legal profession as well as the general public.