The Mississippi Bar traces its lineage to a voluntary membership organization formed in 1821; however, this association lapsed after four years.
During the Great Depression, membership dwindled amid public skepticism about lawyer ethics.
In response, the leading Mississippi lawyers successfully urged the passage of the state's Unified Bar Act in 1932, leading to the present-day mandatory Bar.
Bar policy is set by a Board consisting of the organization's officers plus Board members elected by state circuit court district.
[3] The Bar enforces the rule that Mississippi lawyers must complete 12 credits each year.