With 95,437 active members, the State Bar of Texas is one of the largest state bars in the United States. Unlike the American Bar Association (ABA), the State Bar of Texas (SBOT) is a mandatory bar.
The State Bar of Texas is composed of those persons licensed to practice law in Texas and is an "integrated" or "mandatory" bar. The State Bar Act, adopted by the Legislature in 1939, mandates that all attorneys licensed to practice law in Texas be members of the State Bar.
The process is called Texas Admission Without Examination. Attorneys must have been actively and substantially engaged in the practice of law in any state, or elsewhere, as his or her principal business or occupation for at least five of the past seven years immediately preceding the filing of the application.
After graduating from a law school approved by the American Bar Association with a doctor of jurisprudence degree, candidates must then take the bar examination – a comprehensive test of knowledge in many areas of law.
After graduating from a law school approved by the American Bar Association with a doctor of jurisprudence degree, candidates must then take the bar examination – a comprehensive test of knowledge in many areas of law. After passing this test, the person is licensed to practice law.
The country's thirty-one mandatory state bar associations are fac- ing an existential threat following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Janus v. ACSME, 138 S. Ct. 2448 (2018).
The mission of the State Bar of Texas is to support the administration of the legal system, assure all citizens equal access to justice, foster high standards of ethical conduct for lawyers …
Complainants are required to use the State Bar's current grievance form, effective September 1, 2023, to report attorney misconduct. A grievance can be submitted electronically at , or the current grievance form can be downloaded from there.