Bar Relations
Intro
Being a resource for local, affinity and unity bars across the state is important. Whether facilitating connections among bars, partnering on initiatives, or providing resources and support, our goal is to help bar leaders and the organized bar thrive. With more than 300 local, specialty, diversity, affinity, and identity bars across California, there are countless opportunities to connect, collaborate, and communicate.
Annual California Bar Leadership Conference
This annual training for bar leaders brings nationally recognized speakers to California. Topics may cover association best practices, volunteer management, member engagement, governance, communication, finance, strategic planning and trends in bars.
The 2023 BLC will take place on Wednesday, 09/20/2023 from 9:30 am – 3:00 pm (Pacific) both in-person in San Diego and online via zoom!
REGISTER NOW for this free event!
View past programs here:
Quarterly Bar Leader Calls
- CLA hosts a recurring virtual meeting for bar leaders to share updates and discuss common needs. Stay current on trends, share challenges, and swap practical solutions with peers.
- When: Quarterly. Upcoming meetings: August 28th, 2025, and November 27, 2025
- Time: 9 am- 10 am PT
- For: Bar presidents, their designees and senior staff leadership of bars are welcome to attend. All bar leaders are invited to add topics to the agenda.
Provisional Licensure
The California Lawyers Association (CLA) CLA is pleased to offer complimentary membership to provisionally licensed lawyers in California. Membership is good through 2027. To claim your complimentary membership, create an account on our website, and then sign up for membership as a New Attorney.
Webinars for Bar Leaders
We schedule quarterly webinars that delve into topics to help bar leaders, especially those bars with no staff or small staff. View past webinars below.
Previous Webinars
May 19, 2021 | Do We Languish or Flourish? Key Trends and Important Lessons for Bar Associations
We were joined by Molly Flood, the Research and Information Manager at the ABA Division for Bar Services. As we plan for our organizations post-pandemic priorities and activities, let’s take a look at the trends impacting bar associations. This lively presentation touched on the demographics of the legal profession, membership best practices, continuing legal education trends, innovative meeting ideas and more.
September 28, 2020 | Governance in Transition
We heard from bar governance expert Elizabeth Derrico as she discussed not only the nuts and bolts of governance from a distance, but how to make important decisions quickly, even when you can’t meet in person, and how to build relationships with fellow board members when you have to meet via Zoom. After watching this webinar you will have 20 tips, tricks, and suggestions to take back to your board for a better experience during these unprecedented times.
April 29, 2020 | Online Platforms for Bar Associations
We were joined by various bar professionals to discuss some of the online platforms being used by bar associations during the COVID-19 pandemic and moving forward including Zoom, Google Hangouts, Slack, and Groupvine. We also discussed steps and processes to adequately prepare speakers and participants when utilizing online platforms. This webinar was jointly presented by California Lawyers Association (CLA) and Executives of California Lawyers’ Associations (ECLA).
Here are some articles that may help you compare online meeting platforms:
- https://www.techradar.com/best/best-video-conferencing-software
- https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-video-conferencing-software
- https://www.law.com/legaltechnews/2020/04/10/side-by-side-comparing-popular-video-conferencing-platforms-security-and-usability/
Shared Bar Special Events Calendar
A centralized calendar of statewide bar events, deadlines, and calls.
Directory
CLA maintains a directory of all bar associations and other law related organizations in California with a link to their website.
To have a bar association added to this directory, please email bar.relations@calawyers.org
Technical Assistance
One-on-one support for bar leaders on governance, policies, membership, partnerships, and operations. For further support, please email bar.relations@calawyers.org
Lawyer Referral Services
Several bar associations have State Bar certified Lawyer Referral Services to assist the public finding attorneys. Locate your LRS in your county below.