Bar association

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A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence.^[1] The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separate the area in which court business is done from the viewing area for the general public.^[2]

Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both. In many Commonwealth jurisdictions, the bar association comprises lawyers who are qualified as barristers or advocates in particular, versus solicitors (see bar council). Membership in bar associations may be mandatory or optional for practicing attorneys, depending on jurisdiction.