The VBA - Law Student Information

As a law student in Virginia, you are entitled to dues-free membership in The Virginia Bar Association. Please take a few minutes to complete and submit the application form, which is necessary to activate your free membership.

The mission of our Association — promoting the highest professional standards, working to improve the law and the administration of justice, and advancing collegial relations among lawyers — remains as timely today as it was in 1888, when the Association was founded, and has contributed to our rich heritage. Moreover, as a voluntary association, we are free to sponsor or endorse legislation and to initiate public service projects free of the legal constraints applicable to a mandatory bar.

For many years, our Young Lawyers Division has been annually recognized by the American Bar Association as one of the most outstanding young lawyer organizations in the United States, with a wide range of activities in service to the public and the legal profession. The VBA/YLD Law School Councils are a great way to start getting involved with Association work (and fun) while you're a law student! Many VBA/YLD members gain valuable leadership experience through serving on committees and working on projects; a number of former YLD chairs have gone on to serve the VBA as presidents, Board members and section/committee chairs. All VBA members are members of the Association's Law Practice Management Division, which offers continuing legal education and networking opportunities, in addition to the Book Program which allows VBA members to purchase all books published by the American Bar Association at a 20 percent discount.

Our 18 substantive law sections are designed to promote law reform and to keep our more than 5,500 members current in their areas of special concentration through continuing legal education at our annual winter and summer meetings, which also feature events of general interest. These meetings provide an excellent way to develop and maintain a statewide network of friends and acquaintances who can add much to your overall professional satisfaction.

The new VBA Community Service Program is open to all Virginia lawyers, judges and law students and encourages members of the profession to offer voluntary service. Sign up with the VBA office, perform a specific number of hours of pro bono publico legal service or nonlegal community service, certify your participation at the end of the year and be recognized for your efforts.

The VBA maintains an active calendar of meetings and special events throughout the year. Members of the Association are also eligible to receive special benefits from participating vendors.

Please explore our website. Among many other features, we have news for our members, links to other sites of interest, an online version of the VBA News Journal, answers to frequently asked questions, and the text of the VBA Creed and our mission statement. You'll also want to read our New Lawyers' Survival Guide, available in a PDF version — great tried-and-true advice from our young lawyers!

We welcome you as you prepare to enter the legal profession and hope that you will become an active participant in the work of our Association. If you have any questions, please call the Association's office at (804) 644-0041, or email us at thevba@vba.org. We look forward to having you join us!