Alaska Bar Association

Last updated
Alaska Bar Association
Formation1955 (1955) [1]
TypeNon-Profit Mandatory Bar Association
Headquarters Anchorage, AK
Location
  • United States
Membership
4,000+ [2]
President
Ben Hofmeister [3]
Website http://www.alaskabar.org

The Alaska Bar Association (ABA) is a mandatory bar association responsible for the Alaska Supreme Court and for the admission and discipline process of attorneys for the state of Alaska.

Contents

Governance

The association is governed by a Board of Governors with nine attorneys elected by Bar members and three public members appointed by the governor of Alaska. The Bar offers Continuing Legal Education and other member and public services. Membership numbers more than 4,000. The association is also responsible for administering the bar examination for the State. [2] The Bar offers several membership categories, including active in-state, active out-of-state, inactive, senior and retired. [4]

History

The Association was founded in November 1896 in Juneau. [5] Admission was dependent on a vote by the board of directors and payment of a fee of $1.

The association did not address matters involving attorney misconduct. The most severe punishment was expulsion from the club. The only action that would invoke suspension or expulsion was non-adherence to the minimum fee schedule.[ citation needed ] Potential cases of lawyer misconduct were referred to the U.S. Attorney's office for investigation, then to the grand jury for indictment and finally to the territorial court for adjudication.

United States v. Stringer [6] instituted the Association. The case demonstrated how little power lawyers had in the territorial legal system and that cases and professional conduct were judged by the same jurist. This was a source of concern over judicial bias and overreach.[ citation needed ]

In 1955, the territorial legislature introduced The Alaska Integrated Bar Act of 1955, creating the Alaska Bar Association, a territory-wide organization that would govern the profession. [7]

The first bar president, M.E. Monagle, was elected in 1955. [8]

In October 1972, the Board of Governors established the Alaska Bar Foundation as a 501(c)(3) corporation. The Foundation strives to foster and maintain the honor and integrity of the legal profession. It is governed by seven trustees. It administers the Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, in accordance with rules established by the Alaskan Supreme Court. By joining IOLTA, attorneys’ unsegregated trust accounts generate interest income, which is sent to the Foundation to be used for grants to programs that provide civil legal services to low-income Alaskans. [9]

Structure

The Board of Governors consists of 12 members, nine attorneys and three citizens.

The nine attorneys are elected by their peers. Serving three-year staggered terms, two attorneys represent the First Judicial District, which includes Juneau and southeast Alaska; four are from the Third Judicial District, which includes Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, and the Kenai Peninsula; two members serve the Second and Fourth Judicial Districts, which includes Fairbanks and northwest Alaska; and one member is elected at-large.

The three citizen members are appointed by the governor and are subject to legislative confirmation. They serve staggered three-year terms.

Vacancies are appointed by the board until the next election. The board meets 5-6 times a year at dates and places designated by the president. Special meetings may be called by the president or three board members.

Typically in May, the board elects a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. The association employs an executive director.

Finance

The Association is a non-profit funded by license fees paid by the state's lawyers. It generates additional revenue through on-line and live Continuing Legal Education courses, referrals and investments.

Services

Lawyers

The Association implements the rules for admitting attorneys to the practice of law through biannual bar exams and annual re-licensing. The Bar Counsel investigates and prosecutes claims of attorney misconduct, as specified in the Alaska Bar Rules and Alaska Rules of Professional Responsibility. Disciplinary orders are ultimately imposed by the Alaska Supreme Court. Member services include:

Public

The Alaska Bar Association provides services to the public, including: [17]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Integrated Bar Act, Alaska Sess. Laws 196; Alaska Statute 08.08.010
  2. 1 2 "Home Page". Alaska Bar Association - Information about the mandatory Alaska Bar and the activities of the Alaska Bar Association.
  3. ↑ "Listing of Board Members & Officers".
  4. ↑ "Status Information". 26 July 2016.
  5. ↑ Alaska Bar Association and sketch of judiciary. Sanborn, Vail & Co. 1901. hdl:2027/hvd.32044031785215.
  6. ↑ 124 F. Supp. 705 (D. Alaska 1954), rev'd 233 F.2d 947 (9th Cir. 1956)
  7. ↑ Cravez, Pamela (1996). "A Revolt in the Ranks: The Great Alaska Court-Bar Fight" (PDF). Alaska Law Review. 13 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2015.
  8. ↑ "President Historical List" (PDF). Alaska Bar Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "Bar Foundation/IOLTA". 20 September 2016.
  10. ↑ "Adopted Ethics Opinions: Topical". 26 July 2016.
  11. ↑ "Lawyer Referral Service". 13 July 2016.
  12. ↑ "Lawyers' Assistance Committee". 30 September 2016.
  13. ↑ "SOLACE Program". 12 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "Section Webpages". 25 July 2016.
  15. ↑ "Alaska Bar Rag". 26 July 2016.
  16. ↑ "Alaska Bar Rag". Issuu.
  17. ↑ "For the Public".
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