The Federal Bar Association, founded nationally in 1920 by a group of federal government lawyers, has grown and expanded over the years and is now recognized as the professional organization for private attorneys, government lawyers and judges involved in federal practice. With over 16,000 members, including more than 900 members of the bench, the FBA is dedicated to promoting the welfare, interests, education and professional development of all attorneys in federal practice. Our members are drawn from all aspects of federal practice: attorneys practicing in small to large law firms, attorneys in corporations and federal agencies, and members of the judiciary.
We are doing everything possible to eliminate any and all excuses you’ve had for NOT joining! If you think you still have one, call an Officer, a member of the Executive Board, the Executive Director or a Committee Chair and let’s see about it!
Our Mission
Promote professionalism, education, civility, ethics and fidelity to the rule of law.
Provide service to the federal bench and bar.
Enhance public understanding of the importance of the rule of law, and the roles of lawyers and the federal judiciary in promoting a just society.
Support the enhancement of federal practice and collegiality among the bar in our District, and provide opportunities for participation and leadership in our Chapter to all federal practitioners in our District.
Participate in the National FBA.
By Resolution Passed by the Executive Board
November 20, 2006
More about the FBA
The Eastern District of Michigan Chapter of the FBA has long served the 34 counties which form the eastern half of Michigan’s lower peninsula. Its area extends beyond metropolitan Detroit, and includes Ann Arbor, Flint, Bay City and Port Huron (each of which has Federal Court offices), as well as Saginaw, Jackson, Monroe, and a host of other population centers, large and small, urban and rural. The Eastern District of Michigan includes (according to the 2010 census) 6,467,220 people – about 2/3 of the State’s population.
Our Chapter serves its members and our federal bench in a variety of ways. Specifically, it promotes professionalism within the Eastern District by offering its members continuing legal education, practical information, and opportunities to help advance the sound administration of justice. Our Chapter also promotes collegiality by providing forums for our members and others to get together professionally and socially, by promoting civility in the practice of law within this District, and by commemorating, recognizing and celebrating those whose lives serve as a source of inspiration.
Finally, we promote the diversity of our membership and seek to expand to all groups the opportunities to practice in the Eastern District of Michigan. To this end, in 2008, the Chapter institutionalized a Diversity Task Force (“Task Force”) for the purpose of recommending ways in which the Chapter could improve its diversity. The Task Force defined “diversity” as broadly as possible to encompass race, gender, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, physical stature, type and size of practice, and all of the many other qualities the are part of our community. On the belief that improving diversity within the Chapter is largely the same as improving diversity within the entire federal bar that the Chapter serves, the Task Force included this larger community in its mission and recommendations. The Report is accessible by clicking: Report_and_Recommendations_2009_07.pdf
We also have uploaded dozens of other Chapter and Eastern District documents that may be of interest to you. Explore the website and let us know how it can be improved. We are undergoing the first major update since the website became an FBA pioneer in 2001.
In addition to serving our members, we look for reasonable, achievable opportunities to help chart the FBA’s course at a national level as well as to be an active, responsible citizen in our extensive community. Our Chapter is recognized nationally as one of the largest and most active within the FBA.
Given the variety of services our organization provides and our limited resources and staffing, we rely upon volunteerism from the active and committed members of the bench and bar who comprise our leadership at the officer, board, and committee levels.