Why is membership in the State Bar mandatory for attorneys licensed to practice law in Texas?
Licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas, each Texas lawyer is an officer of the court and bears responsibility for keeping the public faith. Concern for maintaining the highest ethical standards led attorneys to found the Texas Bar Association (a voluntary membership organization) in 1882. The same concern led the bar to propose legislation that would make membership in the bar mandatory. That legislation, passed by the Texas Legislature in 1939, created the State Bar of Texas and provided for further controls over standards of legal practice.
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- Why is membership in the State Bar mandatory for attorneys licensed to practice law in Texas?
