There are a wide variety of legal associations throughout the field of law. These may be local voluntary bar associations, state bar associations, and student law associations. Legal organizations play an important role in activism, legal reform, education, and support for the legal community.
The definition of a "legal association" is a group of individuals who are often attorneys and other legal professionals meeting or associated with a common purpose related to the legal profession, fellowship and networking opportunities.
With over 242,000 lawyers licensed by the state bar to practice law in California, the legal profession in the Golden State is as diverse as the California landscape.
According to the ABA 2019 National Lawyer Population Survey, California is the state with the second-highest number of resident active attorneys. The survey showed California had 170,117 active lawyers living in the state.
Attorneys in California join state, regional, county, and city-level bar associations for a variety of reasons. Bar associations in California provide networking opportunities, access to publications for a specialty practice area of the law, and discounts on quality CLE seminars.
Founded in 1927, the State Bar of California as managed the admission of lawyers into practice, investigated complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribed appropriate discipline for misconduct for over 80 years. California was one of the first states to unify its bar association and make it mandatory, and it is the only state bar that operates its own State Bar Court for professional responsibility cases.
California Board of Legal Specialization ls.calbar.ca.gov
California was the first state in the United States to approve a legal certification program. Under California Rule 1-400(D)(6), a lawyer may not claim he or she is a specialist unless he or she is certified by either the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization or an entity approved by the Board of Governors. Board-certified lawyers in California may seek and obtain more than one certification if otherwise qualified.
California Lawyers Association https://calawyers.org/
Founded on January 1, 2018, the California Lawyers Association became the home to the Sections and California Young Lawyers Association (CYLA) that were previously part of The State Bar of California. The Sections are voluntary organizations of attorneys who share an area of interest or focus on a practice area of the law. The CYLA is comprised of all California attorneys who are in their first five years of practice or are 36 years of age or younger.
California Attorneys for Criminal Justice www.cacj.org
The California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ) was formed in 1973 and has grown to over 2,000 members. The CACJ is the country's largest statewide organization of criminal defense lawyers in California. The CACJ works to defend the rights of the accused, provides quality continuing legal education courses and preserves due process.
Academy of California Adoption Lawyers www.acal.org
Attorneys who are members of the Academy of California Adoption Lawyers (ACAL) represent clients in adoption and assisted reproduction cases. The Academy of California Family Formation Lawyers (ACFFL) is a subsidiary of the ACAL. Many of the most well-established adoption law attorneys in California belong to these trusted non-profit organizations.
California Employment Lawyers Association www.cela.org/
CELA is a statewide organization of more than 1,000 employment law attorneys in California focused on representing plaintiffs. The employment law attorneys in CELA protect the rights of California's workers and provides its members with practical training from the employee advocate's point of view. Employment law cases often include employment discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, class actions, unpaid wages, discriminatory termination or hiring practices, and wage and hour disputes, and whistleblowing and Qui Tam actions.
Becoming a part of a professional association for paralegals is a smart career move. It is one way to stay up-to-date on what is going on in the industry and make professional connections. Plus, being a part of a professional association can look great on your resume and can help set you apart from others who might be vying for the same position. There are actually quite a few professional associations that you can join; here are a few to consider.
The Los Angeles Paralegal Association ("LAPA") is dedicated to developing, strengthening, and advancing the paralegal profession. LAPA was formed in 1972 by local paralegals in response to the growing need for an organized professional association throughout the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. LAPA was incorporated in 1977 as a California non-profit corporation and is governed by an Executive Committee and a Board of Directors.
LAPA provides networking opportunities, continuing legal educational programs, and pro bono activities for paralegals and other members of the legal community. LAPA builds communication bridges with other paralegal associations and maintains a mutually beneficial working relationship with local and state bar associations, educational institutions and businesses serving the legal community. LAPA is also an active participant in the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and an affiliate member of the California Alliance of Paralegal Associations.
It is still a good idea to be a part of a bigger professional organization if you want to take full advantage of all of the opportunities that are available for you. However, becoming a part of a local organization is a good way to find out about local job opportunities and to learn more about changes to state law, which can help you in your day-to-day work.
The National Association of Legal Assistants
The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) is a non-profit organization that focuses on the continuing education and professional development of legal assistants and paralegals like you. NALA represents more than 18,000 paralegals and offers training, helpful publications and more.
The American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) isn’t just for lawyers. Paralegals can also become a part of the ABA. Considered one of the largest voluntary professional associations in the world, the ABA boasts 400,000 members from various professions in the legal industry. As a member of the ABA, you can take part in specialty groups, can receive career advice and can stay abreast of what is going on in the legal industry.
The National Federation of Paralegal Associations
The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) puts out regular publications, provides training, hosts events and more for paralegals. Many people don’t know it, but NFPA was actually the first professional association for paralegals. It was established in 1974 and is still going strong with 50 member associations and 9,000 individual members.
The National Paralegal Association
The National Paralegal Association (NPA) includes members who work in legal offices, for big corporations and more. This association focuses on the education and continuing education of paralegals. Unlike some of the professional associations out there, you can actually join the NPA before you start paralegal school, while you are a student, while you’re a working paralegal or while you are working as an instruction or are otherwise in the paralegal education system.