In Re the Integration of the Bar

A substantial majority of all the actively practicing lawyers in the State have petitioned this court to create an integrated bar association. It is our conclusion that the proposal should be approved.

The conception of an integrated or unified bar originated in the American Judicature Society in 1914. This form of bar organization has, with comparative rapidity, won widespread public approval and now exists in the majority of the states. Its distinguishing characteristic is the requirement that every attorney be a member of the organization and be a contributor to its support.

In a number of…