Mississippi Bar

In the State of Mississippi, many people are injured because of the negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct of an individual or company. These people have the opportunity to file a personal injury lawsuit with the help of a lawyer in their state. Unfortunately, not all people that call themselves lawyers are reputable or able to properly launch a lawsuit. Membership in the Mississippi Bar is the reassurance needed to insure that an individual is qualified to present a court case in front of Mississippi courts.
The Mississippi Bar is an organization that represents legal professionals in the state of Mississippi. The mission of the Mississippi Bar is to serve the public good by promoting excellence in the legal profession and in the system of justice in Mississippi. This mission is fulfilled by striving to promote excellence in the system of justice, ensuring the highest standards of professional competence and ethical conduct of the membership, increasing the public’s understanding and appreciation of our system of justice and the role of the legal profession, promoting the availability and delivery of legal services, and providing programs and services to assist members in providing high quality legal services in a professional and cost effective manner.
Historians have recognized the first state bar association in the United States as being organized in Natchez by a group of Mississippi lawyers in 1821. The association was created “for the purpose of mutual instruction and protection, and for the honor and respectability of the whole bar of the state.” This voluntary organization, however, remained active for only four years and was not reorganized until 1886. Annual meetings of this voluntary bar association were regularly held until 1892 when the association was abandoned for the second time. It was revived in 1905. As a voluntary organization, the Mississippi state bar association was initially able to stimulate and promote a number of worthwhile projects, such as the adoption of a code of ethics for lawyers and attempts to enforce high ethical standards among lawyers. By the 1930s however, the number of dishonest lawyers was growing. Finally, in 1932, membership in the bar was required for all lawyers in the state of Mississippi. Since that day, the organization has been able to enforce important regulatory programs to improve the justice system in the state of Mississippi.
Admittance into the Mississippi Bar is very selective. All potential members must pass the state Bar exam, complete legal education, attend continuing legal education classes, and pass a character review to gain the right to practice law in Mississippi. This regulation, however, insures that everyone who practices law is competent, reputable, and an excellent lawyer. In this way, the quality of the justice system is preserved.