Minnesota State Bar Association

Minnesota State Bar Association
Type	Legal Society
Headquarters	Minneapolis, MN
Location	United States
Membership	15,744 in 2012^[1]
Website	http://mnbar.org/

The Minnesota State Bar Association is a voluntary bar association for the state of Minnesota, including as members lawyers, judges, and other legal practitioners, such as clerks, registrars, and paralegals. The MSBA is one of the oldest state bar associations in the United States. Membership is not required to practice law in Minnesota.

Purposes

The MSBA states the following goals:

To aid the courts in the administration of justice.
To apply the knowledge and experience of the profession to the public good.
To maintain in the profession high standards of learning, competence, ethics, and public service.
To conduct a program of continuing legal education.
To organize into the MSBA the entire Bench and Bar of Minnesota and correlate the activities of affiliated associations.
To provide a forum for the discussion of subjects pertaining to the practice of law, the science of jurisprudence and law reform, and to publish information relating thereof.
To cooperate with other bar associations and organizations to further MSBA objectives.

History and Organization

On April 3, 1883, a group of lawyers met to consider formation of a state bar association. Within a month a constitution and bylaws were adopted; charter members paid three dollars with annual dues of two dollars per year. ^[1] In 1926, the association adopted an affiliated district bar plan and also a new constitution. A public relations committee was appointed in 1937 to air a radio program nationwide and encourage other states to participate. Today, the MSBA governance structure includes a policy making body, the "Assembly", and a Board of Directors, the "Council".^[2]

Projects and publications

Projects of the MSBA include a variety of services and Web sites.

PracticeLaw.org is a resource for practicing attorneys, which provides forms and guides to help lawyers practice more efficiently and effectively.
Minnesota CLE (at MinnCLE.org) is a source of hundreds of continuing legal education offerings for lawyers and other legal practitioners.
Bench & Bar is a legal magazine published by the MSBA. The publication includes articles written by legal practitioners on topics in law and legal ethics, updates and notes on recent court decisions and changes in statutes, announcements by lawyers and law firms, and news on current legal issues and events.

Officers

Further information: List of Minnesota State Bar Association Presidents

Approximately every four years, the MSBA Assembly elects officers from the Hennepin County Bar Association, the Ramsey County Bar Association, the outstate bar associations (collectively), and a single at-large position. The officer is elected as Secretary, then advances to Treasurer, and then President-Elect, and eventually President.^[3] As of August , 2012, the current officers are:

President: Bob Enger
President-Elect: Phil Duran
Treasurer: Richard Kyle, Jr.
Secretary: Michael W. Unger

Directors

The directors of the MSBA, under the guidance of the executive director, have the responsibility of carrying out the day-to-day operations of the association. The directors are responsible for supervising staff and setting and communicating goals and standards.

The current directors of the MSBA:^[4]

Executive Director: Tim Groshens
Access to Justice Director: Steve Hirsh
Director of Finance: Tim Giving
Director of Public Relations: Pat Everheart
Director of Publications: Judson Haverkamp
Director of Section Services: Elyse Farnsworth
Director of Technology: Mike Trittipo
Director of Web Services: Dick Ericson
Human Resources Director: Denise Plachecki
Legal Issues Director: Nancy Mischel
Marketing Director: Margaret Dean
Practice Development Director: Gregory Luce

Part time directors (Development Editors): Nancy Hupp

References

1 2 Minnesota State Bar Association Overview, Martindale Hubbell, retrieved 2012-08-09
↑ Minnesota State Bar Association Governance, Minnesota State Bar Association, retrieved 2012-08-09
↑ MSBA Current Officers
↑ MSBA Staff Directory

External links

Minnesota CLE Web site
PracticeLaw from the Minnesota State Bar Association.
Bench & Bar of Minnesota.
Affiliated member Ramsey County Bar Association's records are available at the Minnesota Historical Society.

State bar associations

Unified State Bars	Alabama State Bar Alaska Bar Association State Bar of Arizona State Bar of California District of Columbia Bar The Florida Bar State Bar of Georgia Hawaii State Bar Association Idaho State Bar Kentucky Bar Association Louisiana State Bar Association State Bar of Michigan The Mississippi Bar The Missouri Bar State Bar of Montana Nebraska State Bar Association State Bar of Nevada New Hampshire Bar Association State Bar of New Mexico North Carolina State Bar State Bar Association of North Dakota Oklahoma Bar Association Oregon State Bar Rhode Island Bar Association South Carolina Bar State Bar of South Dakota State Bar of Texas Utah State Bar Virginia State Bar Washington State Bar Association State Bar of Wisconsin Wyoming State Bar

Voluntary State Bars	Arkansas Bar Association Colorado Bar Association Connecticut Bar Association Delaware State Bar Association Illinois State Bar Association Indiana State Bar Association Iowa State Bar Association Kansas Bar Association Maine State Bar Association Maryland State Bar Association Massachusetts Bar Association Minnesota State Bar Association New Jersey State Bar Association New York State Bar Association North Carolina Bar Association Ohio State Bar Association Pennsylvania Bar Association Tennessee Bar Association Vermont Bar Association Virginia Bar Association

U.S. Commonwealth Bar Associations	American Samoa Bar Association Guam Bar Association Northern Mariana Islands Bar Association Bar Association of Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Bar Association

National Minority Bar Associations	National Native American Bar Association Hispanic National Bar Association National Asian Pacific American Bar Association National Bar Association Puerto Rican Bar Association

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