The State Bar of Michigan is the governing body for lawyers in the State of Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in Michigan. The organization's mission is to aid in promoting improvements in the administration of justice and advancements in jurisprudence, improving relations between the legal profession and the public, and promoting the interests of the legal profession in Michigan.

History & Organization

Under the authority of the Michigan Constitution Article 6, the Michigan Supreme Court established the State Bar of Michigan in 1935. The organization is governed by the Michigan Supreme Court Rules concerning the State Bar of Michigan. A Board of Commissioners, number 31-33 members, governs the State Bar. The Bar's elected officers include a president, president-elect, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. A 10-member Executive Committee composed of the officers, a Representative Assembly chair and vice-chair, and three other commissioners chosen by the president manage the affairs of the Bar between board meetings. Standing committees of the Board provide oversight to the operations of the Bar in strategic planning, finance, public policy, member services, and other matters. A 150-member Representative Assembly is the final policy making body of the State Bar. In 2019, the Bar had more than 45,000 members.

State Bar Programs & Services

The State Bar provides a wide variety of programs and services benefiting both the public interest and the attorneys in Michigan. Among them:

Institute of Continuing Legal Education

The Institute of Continuing Legal Education is the continuing legal education arm of the State Bar of Michigan. It began after a request by the State Bar's Board of Commissioners in 1959 and opened in 1960 with the cooperation of the law schools of the University of Michigan Law School and Wayne State University Law School. It is based in Ann Arbor close to the University of Michigan Law School. The sponsors of ICLE are the State Bar of Michigan, the University of Michigan Law School, Wayne State University Law School, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, the Michigan State University College of Law, and Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. ICLE operates through:

Michigan Legal Milestones

The organization has commemorated many Michigan Legal Milestones. Those include: