The Boston Bar Association (BBA) publishes a quarterly online journal known as Boston Bar Journal (BBJ). First published in January 1957, it stopped being printed in 2012. It provides more than 15,000 lawyers in a range of practice areas with latest information, analysis, and opinions. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Editors, committed to publishing articles that represent the independent opinions of its authors.
Boston Bar Journal
The Boston Bar Association publishes the quarterly online journal known as the Boston Bar Journal (BBJ). In various practice areas, it offers more than 15,000 lawyers and other legal professionals timely legal information, analysis, and views.
For lawyers, judges, scholars, and everyone else interested in the legal system in Massachusetts and elsewhere, the magazine is an invaluable resource. Every member of the Boston Bar Association has access to the BBJ, as do subscribers who have paid for it. Since the journal is run by a volunteer Board of Editors, its content is held to a high standard of quality and applicability.
Our Mission and Advocacy
The Boston Bar body (BBA), which has more than 15,000 members and 140 institutional partners including law firms, companies, government agencies, legal aid groups, and law schools, is the leading legal body in the Commonwealth. All parties are welcome to participate in our cooperative, solutions-focused convening process. We connect individuals in order to share ideas, create connections, and broaden professional networks.
We are led by a Council of 34 legal professionals, and we also rely on the knowledge of hundreds of volunteers from dozens of different businesses and practice areas. A diverse and inclusive professional community is promoted, access to justice is facilitated, the highest standards of quality for the legal profession are advanced, and the community at large is served.
We Believe:
That learning and developing one’s leadership skills are lifelong tasks.
We provide our members with the tools they need to be successful in their legal professions.
That an individual’s inability to pay should not be a reason to deny them legal help.
Making connections between lawyers and those in need is what we aim to do. We offer pro bono training to give lawyers the skills and resources they need to serve clients in need of specialized legal services.
Empowering Greater Boston’s legal service groups.
Dedicated to enhancing our community and increasing access to justice, the Boston Bar Foundation awards grants annually to legal services organizations in the Boston region.
The legal community should represent the diversity of the community it serves.
Seven affinity bar associations collaborate with us to welcome diversity law students and new lawyers to the field and provide them with leadership and development opportunities.
Our Advocacy Work
To make change a reality, we bring stakeholders together, whether it’s working with lawmakers on technical changes to the law, organizing resources against threats to civil rights and civil liberties, ensuring that all citizens are treated fairly and promoting public safety, or fighting for sufficient funding for the courts and civil legal aid.
Our Focus
Access to Justice
Supporting the Judiciary
We support open, easily accessible courts that best serve the Commonwealth’s citizens, as well as a just and unbiased judiciary free from political influence. To make sure that our courts have the means to fulfill their constitutional duties and function as a trustworthy source of dispute resolution, we collaborate with judges, lawyers, and the legislative and executive departments.
Civil Legal Aid Expansion
We highlighted the extent of missing demand for civil legal assistance throughout the state and identified the most economical means of addressing it through our Statewide Task Force to Expand Civil Legal assistance in Massachusetts. Our efforts to close this crucial gap and effectively push for more financing for civil legal assistance remain our top priorities.
The Right to Legal Advice
For criminal defendants, we have always upheld the constitutionally given right to counsel, and we are still working to extend that right to civil cases involving fundamental human needs.
Criminal Justice
A criminal justice system’s main goals should be to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and to advance public safety. We have a long history of supporting consistent, cost-effective policies that advance the impartial and unbiased administration of justice in Massachusetts in order to achieve this aim. We back evidence-based strategies that enhance public safety and facilitate the effective reentry of those involved in the judicial system.
Civil Liberties & Civil Rights
We are prepared to oppose and organize resources in response to threats to civil liberties and rights. We have a long history of addressing issues such as the balance between liberty and security, freedom of speech, and the right to privacy. It also covers same-sex marriage, voting rights, and affirmative action.
Children & Families
Legislative concerns regarding child care, protection, and support, as well as other family-related legal issues are of interest to us. Our efforts in this area include enhancing child support standards, advocating for parental rights in the legal system, and strengthening legislation to prioritize the safety and best interests of children.
Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity for All
In the profession as well as in our society, we are dedicated to creating a more inclusive, democratic, diverse community. Although we recognize that the bar has not always met that expectation, we aim to improve upon our previous efforts and collaborate with others to make Boston’s legal community more inclusive and encouraging for everyone.
Immigration
We think that immigrant’s rights should be respected and maintained, and that no one’s human dignity should be de-valued because of their citizenship or immigration status. It should be possible for everyone, regardless of immigration, citizenship, or economic situation, to fully and meaningfully exercise their rights and get justice via the legal system.
Racial Justice
The BBA has a long history of addressing discrimination based on race in the legal system and in our society. Key Points in BBA History: Our Work Advancing Justice and Equality in our Community and Society describes the work that our members are doing on affordable housing, LGBTQ+ rights, and racial justice at all levels of government, from the local to the federal level.
Law Firm & Corporate Partners
We take pride in our partnerships with approximately 140 institutional sponsors, including law schools, companies, government agencies, legal assistance groups, and law firms. As one of the nation’s strongest legal networks, we leverage our extensive and diverse experience to promote diversity and inclusion, professional quality, and access to justice for the Boston community.
Benefits of BBA Membership
All disciplines of law, practice environments, and industry are represented among our members. Benefit from first-rate educational opportunities and exclusive savings on law practice management services and goods by making the most of your BBA membership. We understand that you need flexibility in your practice, whether at your workplace or on the road, you may easily enjoy every advantage of a BBA membership.
- Expand Your Customer Base. Join the BBA Lawyer Referral Service (LRS), which has been matching Greater Boston lawyers with clients in need of legal help for more than 60 years. The LRS earns an average of $1.5 million in legal fees for its members each year, and it receives close to 9,000 recommendations yearly.
- Learn online whether on the go or at your office. Benefit from on-demand access to the videos and resources from over 100 recent educational sessions in the BBA’s Learn Online collection.
- Stream BBA courses whenever you want. Check out the BBA Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
- Get Law Practice Management Advice & tools. By attending educational webinars presented by the Solo and Small Firm Network, which cover everything from client interactions to legal technology and law firm automation, you may improve your business and learn how to manage your practice more effectively.
- Stay Updated on the Legal Profession. Take advantage of weekly email newsletters covering public service, policy advocacy, news about Boston law firms, and more, as well as subscriptions to the peer-reviewed Boston Bar Journal.
Career Opportunities
For our members going through a career shift, the BBA Career Center is an invaluable resource. We connect our 15,000-member network with government agencies, businesses, legal services organizations, and law firms looking to fill legal positions with qualified candidates.
Building Connections, Knowledge & Skills
Through our Sections and Networks, we provide many leadership and speaking opportunities in addition to more than 500 educational, networking, and public service activities annually. Engage in programming that fits your interests and schedule, and attend state-of-the-art professional development events to network with practitioners and experts.
Industry Conferences & Events
Throughout the year, we organize a broad range of hallmark conferences, Power Lunches, and Industry Insight Events that highlight topics that put Boston at the forefront of research and innovation and include leading authorities in their domains respectively.
We provide innovative and intensive training and networking opportunities that connect in-house counsel and private practitioners by using our city’s network of legal firms, hospitals, financial institutions, scientific and technology companies, and higher education institutions.
Discounts & Services
Further Insurance and Professional Liability
We partner with USI Affinity to provide our members with significant discounts and first-rate individualized attention to their insurance needs, allowing them to concentrate on their practice and ease business management problems. For medical insurance, house and vehicle insurance, professional liability insurance, and disability income insurance
Processing Payments
You can easily and affordably take payments from all major credit cards with LawPay. You may use LawPay to collect payments on-site, on the go, and in the office. In accordance with State and ABA accounting standards, LawPay guarantees the total security of your client’s trust accounts, regardless of where you receive payment. Up to a 25% discount in credit card processing costs is available to BBA members.
Consolidation of Student Debt
If you want to reduce your interest rates and simplify your payback into a single monthly payment, student debt consolidation services are perfect. Depending on their income and credibility, BBA members will be eligible for low rates and a $300 sign-up incentive. Among other benefits, SoFi provides career coaching and unemployment insurance to BBA members who refinance.
The ABA Retirement Plan
The ABA Retirement Funds Program offers legal firms of all sizes, including solo practitioners, cost-effective 401(k) plans with no out-of-pocket costs. The Program provides expert fiduciary services, full-service administration, a wide variety of investment alternatives, and flexibility in plan design.
Serving Boston
Our members live and work in communities that we feel should be served. Through our Lawyer Referral Service, pro bono trainings, public policy work, and public service initiatives, the BBA offers its members a number of opportunities to use their knowledge to benefit the world and truly impact the community.
Through public service initiatives like Law Day in the Schools, Financial Literacy, Re-entry Education, and the Lawyer for the Day in the Boston Housing Court program, we have introduced hundreds of volunteer lawyers in front of pro se litigants and Boston schoolchildren over the years.
The Boston Bar Foundation
By offering grants to organizations in the Boston area committed to enhancing our community and increasing access to justice, the Boston Bar Foundation seeks to strengthen local legal services organizations. Serving Boston youngsters, immigrants, the housing court, members of the military and veteran’s community, and others, the BBF is the BBA’s charitable affiliate.
Making Boston Better for All
The Boston Bar Foundation funds community outreach and public service projects of the Boston Bar Association that help connect people in need with legal aid, promote access to justice for those in need, and broaden possibilities for Boston kids. By means of contributions from businesses, legal firms, and private citizens, among other sources, the BBF finances initiatives that involve lawyers in community service through efficient pro bono work and volunteer opportunities.
Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Promoting inclusion, equity, and diversity in the legal profession is a top priority for the Boston Bar Foundation. A number of educational, outreach, mentorship, and networking programs are funded annually by the BBF, including bar exam coaching, summer internship programs, and partnerships with seven regional affinity bar groups.
Working to Strengthen Our Profession
The robust legal community is important for the work we do. We feel that to fulfill our goal, we must make investments in training programs, leadership development, and other areas to make sure Boston lawyers have the resources and abilities they require to be successful. Programs that support women leaders, encourage civic involvement and public service among young lawyers, and more are funded by the Boston Bar Foundation.
Investing in Policy Work
The Boston Bar Foundation funds policy-related projects that advance the law and profession, increase access to the legal system, advance justice, and involve lawyers in creative ways to address structural injustices that impact a large number of people in our community.