Washington Bar Association
About Washington Bar Association
In 1925, the Washington Bar Association (“WBA”) was one of several black bar groups formed across the nation, as the National Bar Association (“NBA”) was being formed simultaneously. The purposes of the WBA and the NBA were similar to the aims of other states’ black bar groups that had formed prior to 1925. The similarities concerned advancement of jurisprudence, self benefit, group enhancement in a racially exclusive society and judicial system, and group protection.
The Washington Bar Association supports the professional development and related needs of Black lawyers in the District of Columbia and is committed to social justice and advocacy on behalf of the Black community.
The objectives and purposes of the Association are: to improve, benefit and protect the well-being of the legal profession and its members; to enhance the professional skills of its members; to encourage professional and citizenship responsibilities among the Membership; to encourage spiritual and moral values; to advance the science of jurisprudence and the administration of justice; to improve the standards of legal education; and, to encourage legal research and excellence consistent with the philosophy of Houstonian Jurisprudence.