Within the legal community, professional development and networking are vital to success. Legal organizations and associations are a productive way for lawyers to establish relationships with their peers, further their legal professional growth, and also develop better credentials that can be used to better reputations and gain more business growth.

There is a vast amount of legal organizations that can be joined, many of them local to state and even city; Because of this, it can often be overwhelming when determining which associations would be beneficial. For the purpose of this article, we’ll narrow down the list to national top legal professional organizations that you may want to consider joining as a lawyer. These organizations are broad in the scope of location but tend to have narrow subject focuses.

American Bar Associations Affiliated

The American Bar Association boasts over 400,000 members from the legal community. Below we’ve listed the essential legal organizations that are affiliated with it.

The American Law Institute is comprised of lawyers, judges, and professors who seek to clarify and simplify U.S. common law.

Energy Bar Association members promote excellence and ethical integrity by developing and monitoring laws and regulations surrounding energy.

Hispanic National Bar Association represents legal professionals, such as judges, lawyers, paralegals, law professors, legal assistants, and law students.

The National Association of Attorneys General is for attorneys general and corresponding staff to address critical issues surrounding the rule of law and legal office within the U.S.

The American Judicature Society is an organization whose members work to preserve the integrity within the U.S. justice system.

The Association of Life Insurance Counsel is comprised of members who offer counsel to life insurance companies and focuses on enhancing community and scholarship with members.

The Maritime Law Association of The United States helps to further the betterment of maritime law through its members, consisting of lawyers, professors, and related maritime industry representatives.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association features over 15,000 members from the legal community and focuses on advancing immigration law.

The Federal Circuit Bar Association helps to establish a dialogue between the courts and members of the bar through its members.

Conference of Chief Justices this organization was established to give an opportunity to highly established judicial officers to discuss and address matters of law and justice.

The Federal Bar Association is for government judges and lawyers and focuses on promoting the education, welfare, and interests of lawyers who practice federal law.

The Federal Communications Bar Association consists of lawyers, engineers, consultants, government officials, and economists and focuses on the interpretation of technology and communications law.

The National Association of Women Judges represents and is comprised of women within the judiciary.

The National Association of Women Lawyers is comprised of women lawyers and focuses on women’s legal rights and the promotion of women lawyers.

The National Bar Association, Inc. is comprised largely of African-American judges and attorneys and defends and represents the interests of professional members of the legal community.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners helps to establish and maintain uniformity for the standards of the bar admission exam.

The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws is comprised of members who promote uniformity within state laws.

The Judge Advocates Association exists to address issues that affect legal practices associated with the military.

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association is for the development and support of judges, lawyers, and professors within the Asian Pacific American legal community.

The National Association of Bar Executives, Inc was established to support the management staff related to specific legal organizations and bar associations.

The National Native American Bar Association is for the development and support (both culturally and professionally) of judges, lawyers, and professors within the Native American legal community.

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Inc. is comprised of members who promote and protect the legal rights of Americans.

The National Conference of Women's Bar Associations has about 35,000 members and has established a forum for growth, information, ideas, and success for women in the legal community.

The National District Attorneys Association is comprised of over 5,500 prosecutors and works to promote and protect the safety of Americans within the legal system.

The National Legal Aid and Defender Association is dedicated to advocating for equal legal justice and is the oldest legal organization that does so.

The National LGBT Bar Association is for the development and support of judges, lawyers, and professors within the LGBTQ legal community.

The National Organization of Bar Counsel consists of members who focus on enforcing rules, ethics, and conduct of lawyers within the U.S., Canada, the U.K, and elsewhere internationally.

Other Legal Organizations and Associations

American Association for Justice’s members focus on organization and lobbying for U.S. plaintiff’s lawyers.

American College of Trust and Estate Council was established to support lawyers and professors who focus on estate and trust planning.

American College of Real Estate Lawyers established to support lawyers and professors who focus on real estate law.

DUI Defense Lawyers Association provides education and support to lawyers and clients involved with DUI-related incidents.

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys is an organization that supports lawyers and those in the legal profession who work to support and improve the lives of the elderly community.

The National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys consists of members who work to support and protect consumer bankruptcy laws and rights.

The National Association of Consumer Advocates exists to support its over 1500 attorney members who focus on and support victims of fraud and abuse by businesses.

The National Association of Council for Children advocates for the legal rights of children through legal support and by its members.

The National Association of Estate Planners & Councils supports and provides resources for its professional legal members to practice law in the form of estate planning.

The National College for DUI Defense supports its members who work to improve the process of DUI criminal defense.

The National Employment Lawyers Association supports lawyers who work to advance and advocate for employee rights.

The National Elder Law Foundation was established to support its legal professional members who work to support the disabled and elderly community.

The National Police Accountability Project is composed of over five hundred lawyers who work to support and defend those affected by police abuse or misconduct within the jail system.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws focuses on legalizing marijuana responsibly and advocating to change public opinion of it.

The National Lawyers Guild consists of law students, lawyers, and paralegals and focuses on public interest.

American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers consists of over 1,600 family law attorneys and focuses on promoting excellence within family and marital law.

The Association of Attorney-Mediators is an association that focuses on supporting legal professionals who practice dispute resolution and mediation.

The National Crime Victim Bar Association formed to establish the first professional organization of expert witnesses and lawyers who are dedicated to achieving justice for victims.

The American Health Lawyers Association has over 14,000 members who are dedicated to health care legal issues.

The Association of Corporate Counsel was formed to support the business interests of lawyers who work within corporate legal departments and within the private sector.

The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys was formed to support both elected and appointed U.S. prosecutors.

The National Association of Patent Practitioners works to support those who practice patent law.