The Archives of the State Bar of Texas has many functions, and they have many different types of patrons. They serve:
- The Bar by collecting, preserving and providing access to the official documents that reflect the work it does. This includes material created by individuals, sections and committees, and the executive team.
- The members of the Bar by providing them with information on Bar history, activities, publications, and rules and regulations.
- The public by providing information on Texas legal history, and on individuals within the legal community. We routinely receive reference requests from students, genealogists, law offices, writers, and local bar leaders.
Archives also provides records management oversight for the Bar, ensuring that we are in legal compliance with Texas State Law.
About the Collection
Although the Bar itself was created in 1939, the Archives collection includes historic legal material dating back to the 1800s. This includes documents, photographs, audio visual material, art, and artifacts. Some material is available online.
Highlights of the digital collection include:
- All State Bar of Texas Board of Directors meeting minutes since the first meeting in 1940
- All Texas Bar Association proceedings from 1882-1940 and meeting minutes from 1930 to 1940 (the TBA was the predecessor of the Bar and was dissolved when the State Bar of Texas was created)
- A selection of over 700 photographs published in the Texas Bar Journal since 1938
- A complete catalog of our collections of TexasBarBooks publications, 1961-2019, and TexasBarCLE articles, 1960s – 1998
- The complete run of SBOT Volunteer and Staff Guides dating back to 1974
- The entire run of the Texas Bar Journal
Highlights of the print collection include:
- State Bar Section journals
- Examples of early Texas law licenses and legal instruments
- Legal reference texts and directories
- Histories of Texas attorneys
- Local and specialty bar association records
- Proceedings of the Texas Bar Association from 1882-1940, and minutes from 1930-1940. (The TBA was dissolved when the State Bar of Texas was created.)
- The entire print run of the Texas Bar Journal
Using the Archives
If you are at the Texas Law Center, stop in and Archives would be happy to show you around! You can also contact the Archives Department with your research questions by phone or email at archives@texasbar.com (512) 427-1311. Finally, their digital collections can be found here State Bar of Texas Digital Archives.
.png)
