NC State Bar & ABA Resources

North Carolina State Bar

The North Carolina State Bar was created in 1933 by the North Carolina General Assembly as the government agency responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in North Carolina. The State Bar currently regulates over 28,000 licensed lawyers. Protection of the public and protection of our system of justice are the objectives of regulation. 

The North Carolina State Bar is governed by a 61-member council whose members are lawyers elected by the lawyers in their home communities. The public’s interests are represented by three members of the council who are not lawyers and who are appointed by the governor and other elected officials. The 26th Judicial District Bar has seven of the 61 seats on the Council.

Click here for more information on State Bar Councilors for the 26th Judicial District.

Interested in Becoming a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist? Click here to learn more about NC Board Certification.

Lawyers often limit the kinds of matters that they handle in order to acquire expertise in a specific field of law. Board certification provides formal recognition of that concentration of knowledge and experience.

The minimum standards for certification include the following five key requirements:

• Licensed in NC and in good standing with the North Carolina State Bar.
• Substantial involvement in the practice area during the five calendar years prior to the year of application.
• Completion of CLE credit hours in the practice area during the three calendar years prior to the year of application.
• Satisfactory showing of qualification in the specialty area through peer review.
• Passage of practice area specific examination modules offered in October.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS from March 1 – May 1. Apply in the State Bar Member’s Portal. 
Application fee: $250, early application discount of $50 available through April 1.

Contact Sheila Saucier at ssaucier@ncbar.gov or Katie Seruset at kseruset@ncbar.gov or call 919-828-4620 for additional information.

File a Declaration of Intent if you are interested in applying in a future year.

American Bar Association

The American Bar Association (ABA) is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. It has as its mission to serve equally its members, the profession and the public by defending liberty and delivering justice as the national representative of the legal profession.

ABA House of Delegates

The control and administration of the ABA is vested in the House of Delegates, the policy-making body of the association. The House meets twice each year, at ABA Annual and Midyear Meetings. At the Midyear Meeting, the Nominating Committee nominates officers and members of the Board of Governors.