Louisville Bar Association
Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Louisville Bar Association. Roots traced to 1871, with meetings of lawyers advocating legal reform. Those efforts led to state law guaranteeing that a witness could not be barred from testifying on basis of race or color. Officially established on January 13, 1900, the LBA is Kentucky's oldest, continuously operating bar association. Presented by Louisville Bar Association. (Reverse) Louisville Bar Association - The LBA, with the Louisville Women's Club, was instrumental in establishing Louisville's Legal Aid Society in 1921, to provide legal aid for the poor. The LBA was also active in securing passage of the judicial article of 1975, which article barred non-lawyers from serving as judges and created a unified court system. Presented by Louisville Bar Association.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Tracing its roots to lawyers advocating legal reform in 1871, the Louisville Bar Association was formally established in 1900 and is Kentucky's oldest continuously operating bar association. Early members pushed for a state law ensuring that witnesses could not be barred from testifying because of race or color. The LBA later helped found Louisville's Legal Aid Society in 1921 and supported the 1975 judicial reforms that created a unified court system.
Why it matters
The association's history shows how organized attorneys shaped equal access to justice and the modernization of American courts over more than a century.
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