Listed below, in alphabetical order, are the National Affinity Bars that support underrepresented communities in the legal profession.
QUICK LINKS: NATIONAL AFFINITY BARS
Women
LGBTQ+
Black / African American
Hispanic / Latino
Asian & Pacific Islander
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)
- National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association (NAPIPA)
- Japanese American Bar Association (JABA)
- National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys (NCVAA)
- National Filipino Lawyers Association (NFALA)
- Thai American Bar Association (TABA)
- South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA-NA)
Middle Eastern & North African (MENA)
Muslim
Native American & Indigenous
Disability & Deaf Community
Immigrant Communities
Cross-Community / General Diversity
Established in 1946, AILA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit voluntary bar association whose membership exceeds 18,000 attorneys and law professors. It supports those who practice and teach immigration law through continuing legal education, professional services, and specialized expertise.
The Arab American Bar Association works to strengthen diversity and inclusion within the legal field. Its efforts center on the recruitment, retention, and professional advancement of people of Arab descent throughout law schools and legal careers.
Founded in 2005, AMAL hosts seminars, panel discussions, and grassroots community efforts across the Tri-State area. Its work advances the administration of justice while building awareness of both American and Islamic legal traditions, always emphasizing professionalism and integrity.
Created in 1974 by attorneys of Cuban heritage, CABA is a nonprofit voluntary bar association. Its members—judges, lawyers, and law students from many backgrounds—engage with matters affecting the Cuban community as well as broader legal and human rights concerns facing minority populations.
DHHBA is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) uniting d/Deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and DeafBlind legal professionals across every communication style and accommodation need. The group offers mutual support, advocacy, accessible events, education, and outreach to advance its members within the profession.
The DRBA connects attorneys who specialize in disability civil rights law through an online network. Members exchange information, coordinate litigation and representation strategies, and mentor lawyers and law students who are new to disability rights practice.
The Haitian Lawyers Association promotes professional excellence among Haitian-American attorneys and champions the civil and political rights of the Haitian-American community. It builds ties with the broader Florida bar, encourages Haitian-American law students, and advances diversity and community welfare across South Florida.
A nonprofit national membership organization, the HNBA represents more than 78,000 Hispanic attorneys, over 18,000 law students, and thousands of judges, professors, and other professionals. Since 1972 it has worked to open opportunities and help successive generations of Hispanic lawyers succeed.
The IABA is the only national body for Iranian-American judges, attorneys, scholars, and law students, with more than 1,500 members and eight chapters. Its threefold mission is to educate the community on legal matters, defend and advance its legal rights, and celebrate its members’ achievements.
Established in Los Angeles in 1977, JABA offers legal professionals with interests and ties to the Japanese American community a dedicated space to discuss issues, build networks, and serve the community together.
LatinoJustice PRLDEF is a national nonprofit with a long record of advancing equity and justice for Latinx communities across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and beyond. It also cultivates the next generation of Latinx leaders within the legal profession and their communities.
MCCA is a leading voice for diversity, equity, and inclusion spanning corporate legal departments and the C-suite. For more than 27 years it has advanced diversity through research, professional development, thought leadership, and advisory services that help members transform their companies and industries.
Founded in 2023, NAABA is a nonpartisan, nonreligious professional organization. It works to build connections among Arab American attorneys, judges, and law students drawn from communities throughout the country.
NAPABA is the country’s largest membership organization for the Asian Pacific American legal community. It represents the interests of roughly 80,000 attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students nationwide.
NAPIPA is a professional association devoted to promoting justice and supporting prosecutors of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. By uniting API prosecutors, it advocates for fairness and equality for crime victims, the accused, those working in the justice system, and the wider community.
The National Black Prosecutors Association is the only membership organization focused on advancing Black prosecutors at every level of government. Founded in 1983, it brings together chief and line prosecutors along with law students, former prosecutors, and law enforcement professionals.
NAMWOLF unites AV-rated minority- and women-owned law firms that serve major corporate clients. The organization helps member firms build strategic alliances with corporations, in-house counsel, and legal trade groups, expanding opportunities for minority- and women-owned practices.
NAML is a leading association for Muslim attorneys and legal professionals across the United States. It provides networking and mentorship, runs educational programs on current legal topics, supports regional Muslim bar associations, and serves the public through community efforts.
Since 1979, NAWJ has guided the American judiciary toward greater fairness and equality for vulnerable populations. Its mission centers on protecting individual rights under the rule of law through diverse judicial leadership, equitable courts, and equal access to justice.
Since 1899, NAWL has worked to advance women in the legal profession by offering leadership, a collective voice, and essential resources. It advocates for women’s equality under the law and cultivates a diverse membership committed to mutual support and shared success.
The National Bar Association is the oldest and largest global network of predominantly Black American attorneys and judges. It represents the interests of approximately 67,000 lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students.
NCBL brings together lawyers, scholars, judges, legal workers, students, and activists. It builds professional strength in service of the Black community’s pursuit of full social, political, and economic rights, using the tools of the law to confront racism and the inequities it produces.
NCWBA is an organization of women’s bar associations serving women’s bar associations, together representing about 35,000 women lawyers. It provides a national forum for sharing the ideas and information essential to organizational growth and success in today’s profession.
NCVAA promotes and supports local Vietnamese American bar associations throughout the country. It collaborates with other Asian American organizations on shared concerns and holds its members to the highest standards of ethics and professional conduct.
As the national voice of the Filipino American legal profession, NFALA champions diversity and the need for varied perspectives across society. It advocates for justice, civil rights, and equal opportunity, striving for equity and inclusion for Filipino Americans in every part of American life.
The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association unites attorneys, judges, legal professionals, law students, activists, and affiliated LGBTQ+ legal organizations. It advances justice within and through the legal profession for the LGBTQ+ community in all its diversity.
For 50 years, the National Women’s Law Center has pursued gender justice in the courts, in public policy, and across society. It uses every form of the law to dismantle gender inequity and the barriers that most affect women of color, LGBTQ people, and low-income families.
Founded in 1973, NNABA serves as the national association for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian attorneys, judges, professors, and law students. It pursues justice and strong legal representation for Indigenous peoples while supporting Native lawyers and addressing the issues affecting their communities.
Established in 2024 as a 501(c)(6) organization, the Palestinian American Bar Association represents close to 700 Palestinian American legal professionals and law students across the country.
SABA-NA works to strengthen the fast-growing South Asian legal community by providing a trusted forum for professional growth and development. It also advocates for civil rights and greater access to justice for the South Asian community.
TABA is the first organization dedicated to supporting Thai and Thai American legal professionals in the United States, created in response to their growing numbers. Its members practice at firms of all sizes and in corporate, government, nonprofit, and academic settings.