There are more options than ever for getting active in the HCBA and making the most of your membership. Find what fits best for you!
The HCBA offers a wide variety of ways to make the connections you want and need for your career, your practice, and your well-being. You can get engaged at any time during the year and at any point during your professional career.
What are your interests?
If you want to share and/or grow your knowledge of substantive law in your current or potential areas of practice...
- Join HCBA sections -- there's no additional cost, section CLEs are free to HCBA members, and sections are increasingly organizing socials and other projects.
If you want to grow the diversity and inclusivity of our local legal community...
- Participate in, or volunteer to help administer, the HCBA 1L Minority Clerkship Program, giving minority law students a jump start on their legal careers.
- Join the HCBA Diversity Committee -- an active team of volunteers who organize pipeline, mentoring, educational, and research activities to further diversity and inclusion in the practice of law.
If you want to get together with other local attorneys around shared topics of interest, hobbies, sports, or ways of staying healthy...
- Check out the informal HCBA clubs. There's something for everyone, from cycling to photography, and much more.
If you want to help maintain the vibrancy of the HCBA and make sure the association remains relevant to your needs and to the ever-changing needs of other local attorneys and the broader community...
If you want to make a difference in the community through pro bono and local public service efforts...
- Join the ranks of the Volunteer Lawyers Network -- the pro bono arm of the HCBA.
- Attend the fundraising events of the Hennepin County Bar Foundation (HCBF) -- including the Bar Benefit and the HCBF Charity Golf Tournament -- and encourage your colleagues to make the HCBF a priority in their charitable giving.
- Get involved in community outreach programs that promote access to justice and help grow the public's understanding of and positive connection to the law.
What time do you have available?
If you have time for a few, smaller-scope projects...
If you have time periodically to put toward a larger project...
If you can commit one to three hours per month...
If you are interested in taking on a leadership role, usually involving three to ten hours per month...
Still unsure about how to get started?
We're happy to talk with you about your interests and skills, and to help you develop a customized plan for HCBA engagement. Contact Senior Communications Director Joseph Satter at jsatter@mnbars.org.
Benefits of Membership
The Hennepin County Bar Association is your connection to:
- Local lawyers
- The 4th District bench
- New clients and contacts
- Practice management resources
- Community outreach and pro bono
HCBA members benefit from and provide support for:
- Free Committee- and Section-sponsored 1.0 CLE seminars at the HCBA office (80 lunch hour programs per year). Plus, there’s no charge for HCBA Section membership.
- Mentoring and networking for every stage of your career.
- Social events to connect with colleagues from your area of practice, members of the bench, new lawyers, and others in the legal community.
- Membership clubs for your interests outside of the law.
- Practice development and training.
- Diversity and pipeline development initiatives for the profession and the local community.
High standards of professionalism through awards and recognition, educational programs, and the 4th District Ethics Committee. - Management and leadership experience through committee work and HCBA projects and initiatives.
- Lawyer Referral & Information Service: an affordable way to market your law practice and find new clients.
- Promotion of access to justice for the people of Hennepin County through the Bar Foundation.
Interaction with the Fourth District Court Bench through programs, social events, training, and advocacy efforts. - Volunteer Lawyers Network: The pro bono arm of the HCBA, supported substantially by HCBA and HCBF funding, provides a wide range of opportunities for pro bono.
- Subscription to the Hennepin Lawyer magazine, featuring insightful articles on substantive legal issues and the practice of law, profiles of the bar and bench, and spotlights on members, events, and association activities.
- Leadership development, including the LINC program (Leaders Impacting the Nonprofit Community) and the Law Firm Leadership program.
- Legal education and outreach to the community, including an attorney speakers bureau, Ask-A-Lawyer opportunities, programs and resources for teens and teachers.
- Weekly e-news with updates and calendar for the HCBA and the local legal community.
Law Students
Now is the perfect time to get active in the HCBA. Getting involved in your local bar association while still in law school is one of the best decisions you can make. Investing a little time now making connections with local lawyers can have a big impact later on as you start out in your career in the law. Learn more.