The VBA - Information for new lawyers

Congratulations on your admission to the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Virginia! You are joining a distinguished bar with a heritage as rich as any in the land.

As a new member of the bar in Virginia, you are entitled to dues-free membership in The Virginia Bar Association during your first year as a lawyer. Please take a few minutes to complete and return 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. 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.

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. 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. 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% discount. The Community Service Program encourages lawyers, judges, law students and administrators to serve their communities.

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 to our 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 e-mail us at thevba@vba.org. We look forward to having you join us!